Gauging the Not for Profit Budget Impact   

The Not for Profit sector is yet to see the full impact of federal and state budgets, nearly 200 leaders from the sector heard at a post-budget analysis of funding and policy changes.

The Not for Profit Post-budget Breakfast seminar, hosted by UCA Funds Management in Melbourne on Tuesday, looked at budget changes and election positions that could impact the NFP sector, including community services, health, disability, education, aged care and environment.

UCA F​unds Management Chief Executive Officer, Michael Walsh, who facilitated the event, said the aim was to translate a successful business format about the post-budget breakfast into a post-budget Not for Profit breakfast.

“We recognise that the real information about funding in the Not for Profit sectors were not present in the budget headlines,” Walsh told Pro Bono Australia News.

“The keynote presentation by Bruno Bellon, who is very experienced in presenting to Not for Profits, successfully provided data on that, for the Victorian and Federal Budget.

“The four panelists, each of whom have their areas of expertise, worked well.

“We asked them to focus on the facts and not use it as a lobbying platform… and the feedback we received lives up to that.”

Walsh will also host a free Pro Bono Australia Executive Webinar on the challenges of financial sustainability for the Not for Profit sector on 25 May 2016 at 14:00 pm

The keynote speaker, Commonwealth Bank of Australia economist Bruno Bellon, picked out some of the major announcements in health, education, domestic violence and communities to come out of the federal budget.

He highlighted:

• the extra $2.9bn for public hospitals and
• $1.7bn for Public Dental Scheme,
• the NDIS Saving Fund Special Account
• hikes in cigarette tax
• the $21.3m Health Care Homes trial
• the $925m saving by continued pause on Medicare rebates indexation
• an additional $1.2bn for schools and
• an extra $118m for students with disabilities over the next two years
• the $152m cut from Higher Education Participation Program
• $100m for domestic and family violence programs
• $5.1m Building Capacity in Australian Parents trial
• the $752m Youth Jobs PaTH program
• cuts to Department of Social Services “Strengthening Communities” volunteer program
• $40bn Jobs for Families package pushed back to 2018
• and Foreign Aid cut by $224m.

Bellon was joined on the panel by Dr ​​David Cousins AM, Adjunct Professor at Monash University and UCA Funds Management Director, Elizabeth Lucas, Partner in Remuneration Taxs at Grant Thornton, Deb Tsorbaris, Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Chief Executive Officer and Michelle Green the Independent Schools Victoria Chief Executive.

Walsh said feedback for the event, which adopted an open house format, was very positive.

“People felt it exceeded their expectations,” Walsh said.

“We had aimed at 150 and in the end we got 190 registrations so it was well supported.

“We had quite a mix of people from the Not for Profit sector, we had some directors, CEOs and finance members and then we also had a number of service providers who like to learn.

Some of the trends that emerged from the breakfast were an increase in individual choice models as seen in the NDIS and a trend for governments who are “strapped for cash” to be selective in their funding and “target hot button issues”.

But Walsh said they were looking forward to see what the real impact on the sector would be.

“When we had panel discussions including Bruno, prior to the event we agreed that the budget and the election approach is designed not to ruffle too many feathers,” he said.

“It will be the things that come out after the election that will be most important from a planning perspective.”