Greens Support Sector Reform
9 August 2010 at 3:39 pm
The Greens have welcomed the Labor Governments reform agenda for the Not for Profit sector saying it pledged to keep the government honest on delivering its reform promises.
The Greens says the formation of a Not for Profit Sector Reform Council and an Office of the Not for Profit Sector are potentially great initiatives that could make a huge difference to the red tape that is strangling our community services.
Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on community services says having The Greens in the Senate to keep a close eye on these reform commitments to see that they are delivered is likely to prove crucial.
Siewert says the sector faces some crucial challenges which require real reform and sustainable funding to resolve.
She says the sector faces growing demand for services but is struggling to find the skilled and compassionate workers it needs – a problem exacerbated by inadequate service funding and mind-numbing and the pointless bureaucratic duplication demanded of it by government.
Senator Siewert says it is crucial that this reform is a two-way process, and not something that the Minister's office or government departments looks to impose on Not for Profit services.
The Greens believe the main priorities that need to be addressed immediately by the Office of the Not for Profit Sector are realistic indexation of funding, fixing the problems with fringe benefits tax, and ensuring the outcomes of pay claims before Fair Work Australia are properly funded.
