Page 3537 - Week 09 - Thursday, 23 August 2018
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The fund is managed by an independent board. That independent board will initially mirror the board membership of Hands Across Canberra. In the first three years 25 per cent of the funding provided will be used for charitable purposes. The remainder will be invested. The corporate structure is of a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee external to government and governed by a constitution and an independent board.
The fund has been set up as a charity under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012. The initial board members will comprise the same board members as Hands Across Canberra. The objects of the fund are modelled off the highly successful Lord Mayor’s charitable fund based in Melbourne. I hope that information clarifies the matter for Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: When did or will the ACT government transfer money to the Chief Minister’s Charitable Fund for Hands Across Canberra?
MR BARR: In the 2017-18 financial year.
MS CHEYNE: Chief Minister, what benefits and services do you see the charitable fund providing to the Canberra community?
MR BARR: As I indicated in my answer to an earlier question, through the parliamentary agreement we committed to establishing the independent fund, and we committed to reviewing the community contributions scheme, with a view to maximising the direct benefit to the community for the scheme.
These two issues were front and centre of the parliamentary agreement; indeed they were features of public discourse during the 2016 campaign and are issues that I think have been quite extensively canvassed since. We aim to increase the amount of philanthropic effort in our city and to build opportunities for community organisations to work together to improve outcomes right across our community.
Hands Across Canberra have been incredibly successful throughout their history at achieving those ends. I note the commentary from Mr Parton in relation to their success, and I share that view that they have been a very worthy organisation, broadly supported across the Canberra community, and were indeed ideally placed to undertake this role on behalf of the Canberra community. This was in the budget. We voted on it this morning.
Mr Wall: No, we didn’t.
MR BARR: Yes, we did.
Mr Wall: Well, we didn’t vote for it.
MR BARR: We voted on the appropriation.
Mr Coe: You said it was in the 2017-18 approps.
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