Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – Labor Forced to Amend Employment Laws in Major Win for Charities

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 05 November 2024 LABOR FORCED TO AMEND EMPLOYMENT LAWS IN MAJOR WIN FOR CHARITIES The Albanese Government has folded to pressure from the Coalition and Australian charities sector, exempting charities from contracting requirements that would have made their future impossible – at least for now. Under the Fair Work Legislation Amendments (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022, staff on fixed-term contracts cannot have them extended more than once, meaning they either had to be employed on a permanent basis or leave the organisation. This was incompatible with the way many charities receive their funding, which is generally once a year, with staff employed on short-term contracts to reflect this. Appeals by negatively impacted charities and community organisations across the country, largely led by the Community Council of Australia, fell on typically deaf ears with Labor. It was characteristic of the Albanese Government’s inconsiderate approach to a sector which, despite employing 11 percent of Australians and supporting communities through the cost-of-living crisis, has been ignored and taken for granted under Labor. In response, Coalition Charities Spokesman Senator Dean Smith introduced a motion for an Order for the Production of Documents in July. It aimed to capture communications between the Fair Work Commission, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the ACNC and Labor Ministerial Offices. This forced then Minister Tony Burke to consult with the sector as he should have done from the outset, issuing a written acknowledgement of the unsustainable situation it had created for Australian charities and committing to deal with the sector’s concerns as a priority. Senator Smith deferred his motion on this basis, still prepared to utilise it if and when Labor failed to keep its word. The result of Labor’s negotiations with the sector is the Fair Work Amendment (Fixed Term Contracts – Exceptions Measures) Regulations 2024, which came into force late last week. The Regulations allow ACNC-registered charities whose funding runs for less than five years to align employment contracts with their funding windows, provided the staff member in question has been employed by the charity for less than seven years. However, the Regulations only last until 1 November 2025. Labor describes them as “transitional” and aimed at tiding the sector over until a longer-term solution can be found. The sector has already expressed a preference for the Regulations to be extended. The Coalition will continue to use every lever to force Labor to continue meaningful consultation with the sector on this key issue and – in the absence of a viable, ongoing solution being found – an extension of the Regulations so that charities can do their vital work well into the future.   Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury: “While it’s a relief to finally see some certainty for the charities sector, this is only temporary, and Labor cannot be allowed to forget that it has an ongoing responsibility to address the problem long-term.” “The fact we are in this situation at all says everything you need to know about Labor’s heavy handed IR agenda and its dismissiveness of Australian charities and community organisations.” “That Labor only started paying attention to the sector, which is helping Australians through the Government’s own cost of living crisis, after the threat of action being taken in the Senate, is totally unacceptable.” “The sector can be assured the Coalition will continue to back its interests until a workable outcome is achieved – both in the Senate and wherever else is necessary.” ENDS

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – Labor Withholds Information From Not-For-Profits Inquiry

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 1 November 2024 LABOR WITHOLDS INFORMATION FROM NOT-FOR-PROFITS INQUIRY The Albanese Government sat on documents relating to its bungled implementation of tax reporting rules for not-for-profit organisations – deliberately denying a Senate Inquiry access to them. An Order for the Production of Documents, moved by Senator Dean Smith and agreed to by the Senate on 20 August, required the information – including correspondence between Assistant Charities Minister Andrew Leigh’s office, the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission – to be supplied by 10 September. Labor failed to comply until yesterday, the same day that the Senate Economics Committee was finalising its report following an Inquiry into the issue. This tactic prevented the Committee from considering the documents in its report and makes a mockery of the Albanese Government’s alleged commitment to both the future of the sector and Parliamentary transparency. The Inquiry, which held a public hearing in Canberra last week, was formed to investigate the roll-out of new tax obligations for non-charitable not-for-profits that require them to complete a tax return to retain their tax-exempt status. It was established by Senator Smith on behalf of the Coalition, following serious concerns raised by the sector about the Government’s flawed efforts to implement the policy. The Committee also learned through ATO evidence that Assistant Minister Leigh’s office had sought and received a verbal briefing on these matters on 14 March, followed up by written information. It means that Dr Leigh and his team fully understood both the poor progress of the roll-out and the challenges the sector was experiencing – and did nothing to address either. The Inquiry report, released today, found significant inconsistencies between the ATO and Government’s view of how the rollout and associated consultation has been performing and the almost overwhelmingly negative experiences of stakeholders. Of the estimated 155,000 not-for-profits affected, approximately 11,000 have so far lodged their tax return – or 7 percent. This falls dramatically short of the 83 percent target for the 2023-2024 financial year the ATO set itself for ordinary tax returns and betrays the information and logistical challenges faced by organisations in meeting the new requirements. The report also noted the significant administrative burden the changes are placing on what are often small, volunteer-run groups and that this burden is disproportionate to the potential tax risk they pose – all compounded by inconsistent advice provided by the ATO and ACNC. It makes six recommendations, including introducing thresholds to exclude smaller not-for-profits, extending the deadline for lodging returns beyond the current 31 March 2025, and that the ATO and ACNC do a better job of practically consulting with the sector and harmonise the advice being provided. Quotes attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “The report findings were damning enough of the Albanese Government before the revelation it had been withholding important information from the Inquiry – but Labor’s conduct over the past couple of days says everything about it wrong priorities.” “Thousands of small, community organisations are feeling unheard and under threat as they struggle with this bungled regulatory roll-out, and Andrew Leigh decides to play politics.” “The implementation of this policy, which has obviously moved away from its original intent, has clearly been a failure and Labor cannot ignore it any longer.” “I am hopeful that this is the wake-up call the Albanese Government needs and urge it to adopt the report’s recommendation in full.” “If it doesn’t, and outcomes for the sector do not improve, the ramifications for many Australian not-for-profits will be catastrophic – and the community will pay the price.” ENDS

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – The West Australian – Our Democracy Is In Decline

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 22 October 2024 OUR DEMOCRACY IS IN DECLINE Former US president Ronald Reagan once commented that “freedom is a fragile thing … it is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation”. True words remind us that our way of life is never guaranteed. Democracy, both in Australia and elsewhere, is not a finished product. It is vulnerable by nature, and that means we have an ongoing responsibility to ensure that Australian democracy is as robust as possible. The former Coalition government met this standard — during almost a decade of Liberal-National administrations, Australia was consistently ranked in the top 10 most democratic nations in the world by The Economist Democracy Index. Labor has single-handedly undone this record. Australia ranked equal ninth in 2021, but after one year of the Albanese Government, we plummeted six places to 15th and sit at equal 14th in the most recent rankings. Given our neighbours in New Zealand are ranked second in the world, Australians have a right to wonder what is going wrong here. Exploring the metrics used by The Economist provides a fuller picture. While Australia has maintained perfect scores for some categories, such as our electoral process, we have been marked down significantly in others. On the metric of “political participation” we have fallen from 7.78 to 7.22, and on “political culture” dropped from 8.75 to 7.50. Thankfully, our voting system and our democratic institutions are doing fine. What is under strain is our democratic culture, the extent to which Australians are encouraged to participate in the political system and the openness of our public debate. This decline in our democratic health is deeply concerning. But this isn’t the fault of the Australian people, nor is it the result of manipulation from a bad faith actor overseas. It is the direct result of the way Labor governs. And it isn’t new: imposing an oversized, cumbersome and overreaching government on the Australian people is part of their DNA. Labor’s tendency to push bad laws that undermine freedom is confirmed by the historical record. In 2012, the last it was in power, Labor introduced new “self-regulation” media laws that would have left the Australian press vulnerable to interference from the Government. Then News Limited chief Kim Williams called the proposed legislation “Soviet-style” because of the dramatic changes they would have made to freedom of the press. Mr Williams went on to say that the way Labor tried to rush it through Parliament, in just one sitting week, with limited public consultation, was like putting “a gun to the head of the Parliament, our industry, and the Australian public”. Fortunately, that Bill failed. But many are now feeling a sense of déjà vu. The Albanese Government is steaming ahead with its own controversial “misinformation and disinformation” legislation. And, rather than trusting the robustness of our parliamentary process to weed out bad ideas, or fashion them into better ones, Labor is again attempting to ram these new laws through Parliament as quickly as possible. Australians were given barely a week to make submissions to a Senate inquiry on the Bill. Probably because when it tried to launch similar laws last year, more than 20,000 submissions were received opposing them. Australians must not be any less vigilant this time around. Labor’s Bill seeks to establish unprecedented powers for the communications minister — powers that would allow them to personally order misinformation investigations and hearings on terms of their own choosing. It would also create a two-tier standard for free speech, with different rules for different people. If a statement is made by an academic or comedian, for example, it can be counted as legitimate, but if that same statement is made by another Australian, it could be considered ‘misinformation’ and therefore ‘harmful’. And the statement wouldn’t need to be intentionally deceptive or malicious to be illegal, meaning it could be used to stifle the genuinely held opinions of fair-minded Australians. It stems from the loose definitions of ‘harm’ and ‘serious harm’ caused by speech, which would include remarks considered damaging to the environment or the economy. Say someone comments online that they don’t believe in Climate Change: that could be considered misinformation, harmful to the environment, and eligible to be censored. I am no climate science denier, but that doesn’t mean I think people who hold an opposing view should be suppressed. In a democracy, we settle differences through evidence and open discussion, not censorship. The Law Council of Australia takes a similar view, noting in its submission on the Bill that the definitions are “overbroad”, and that the concepts of ‘harm’ and ‘serious harm’, “each involve value judgements that are likely to be contestable and politically sensitive”. This is especially the case when you consider the way Labor wants to enforce these new free speech caveats. They propose a punitive system of fines, levied by the unelected officials at the Australian Communications and Media Authority, that will pressure social media companies to delete user content that could be considered misinformation or disinformation. Meta, Twitter, TikTok, and others will not be fined for censoring too much to meet the Government’s nominated standard, but they will face significant penalties for not censoring enough. For the most part, these companies care less for the free speech of Australians than they do about their bottom line, so it is no stretch to imagine them setting up an algorithm that automatically censors posts online without nuance. We cannot allow this scenario to become our reality. The fact we are no longer a top ten democracy, a distinction we have held since The Economist began its index in 2006, is a national embarrassment and needs to be immediately reversed. But if this Bill is passed, it would further the weakening of our democracy. There can be no doubt that misinformation and…

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – Urgent Support for Food Donation Bill While Labor Sits on Treasury Advice

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 22 October 2024 URGENT SUPPORT FOR FOOD DONATION BILL WHILE LABOR SITS ON TREASURY ADVICE Charities and industry bodies have described the need for a Bill incentivising food donations to hungry Australians as urgent and called on Federal Parliamentarians to put politics aside and back it. They appeared in Canberra this morning at a public hearing into the Tax Laws Amendment (Incentivising Food Donations to Charitable Organisations) Bill 2024. Introduced by Senator Dean Smith as a Private Senator’s Bill in July, the Bill features a tax incentive for companies that donate, rather than dump, excess food and is aimed at reducing both millions of tonnes of annual food wastage and pressure on food relief charities facing unprecedented demand. The Salvation Army’s Donna Fraser told the hearing “…people think the issues are real but lack urgency. It is very real and very urgent.” Questioned by Labor on the value of the Bill, Australian Food and Grocery Council CEO Tanya Barden said that “Parliament needs to take a good, hard look at itself” and described the Bill as “an easy win, an opportunity that should really have the support of all parties across the Parliament.” The Bill builds on a concept originally designed by Foodbank Australia, and which it and its partner organisations – Second Bite and OzHarvest – have long advocated for. Foodbank and AUSVEG, who also appeared today, stressed that many producers find it more economically viable to dump excess, but edible, food than harvest and transport it to a charity. CEO of Foodbank Brianna Casey described the tax incentive’s power to “shift the dynamic” in favour of food donation at a time where record numbers of Australians are experiencing food insecurity. KPMG tax experts, who economically modelled the original Foodbank concept, added their support for the Bill, recommending enhancements to capture donors operating as trusts or partnerships, and raising thresholds that reflect producers’ high turnover but low margins. Academics who had previously expressed reservations about the Bill both confirmed after hearing evidence from other witnesses that it now has their support. But Assistant Charities Minister Andrew Leigh was once again exposed for ignoring calls from the sector to progress this critical issue from the Government’s side. Even worse, it was revealed by Treasury officials that they had been requested by Labor to provide a comprehensive briefing on the Bill. It means that information that could further improve the Bill, or which Labor could –and should – use to draft and pass its own equivalent legislation, is gathering dust on Minister Leigh’s desk. Meanwhile, the charities he is meant to represent work overtime to support Australian households in crisis. The inquiry is due to publish its findings in a report in mid-November. ENDS

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – Not For Profits Slam Dismissive Government Over Bungled Tax Regulation Rollout

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 22 October 2024 NOT FOR PROFITS SLAM DISMISSIVE GOVERNMENT OVER BUNGLED TAX REGULATION ROLLOUT Not for profit organisations have vented their frustration at the Australian Taxation Office and Labor’s implementation of new tax requirements, labelling the Government “dismissive” and “out of touch”. A Senate Economics References Committee inquiry into the issue, established by Senator Dean Smith, held a public hearing in Canberra today – with witnesses including the ATO, Australian Charities Not for Profits Commission, the Law Council of Australia, Community Council of Australia and representatives of negatively impacted not for profits. The regulations require non-charitable not for profits to lodge an annual return to confirm their tax exemption eligibility. Representatives of Agricultural Shows Australia, Stonnington Scottish Country Dancers and various Landcare Groups told the hearing how the administrative burden caused by poor implementation have put the survival of their much loved community organisations in jeopardy. Their volunteer office bearers were, at best, forced to seek professional advice and, at worst, considering winding up their operations. The Australian Multicultural Action Network noted the reliance on paper forms and lack of an accessible online portal, both characteristics of the ATO’s rollout, presented a difficult learning curve for new members. Very few agreed with the ATO’s claim that the burden will ease considerably in future years thanks to a form with pre-filled details, arguing the high volunteer turnover common in the sector will require most of the work to be updated annually. The Community Council of Australia said organisations had repeatedly told the Government how damaging failed implementation the new requirements would be, but their concerns went unheard. “You call that a consultation, I call that a dismissive approach to our sector”, CEO David Crosbie told ATO officials. It’s a broader sign of the Albanese Government’s negligent approach towards the not for profit sector, who it meets with but whose message it fails to understand and act upon. The hearing was told relevant Minister Andrew Leigh has so far ignored both a letter of concern from the Law Council of Australia and requested assurances by the Community Council of Australia. In bizarre contrast to evidence from the sector and peak bodies, the ATO highlighted various initiatives being taken to “simplify and streamline” the process, noting it was “proud” of progress so far. Senator Smith observed to ATO officials that there was “a complete misfit between what the not-for-profit sector is telling us … and what the ATO is doing”. Clearly, there is an unsustainable disconnect between the ATO’s perception of their responsiveness to the sector and the sector’s experience. It is incumbent on Andrew Leigh and the Albanese Government to address that disconnect. The Senate Inquiry is due to report at the end of this month. ENDS

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – Grocery Pain Confirmed by Senate Inquiry and Charity Report

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 15 October 2024 GROCERY PAIN CONFIRMED BY SENATE INQUIRY AND CHARITY REPORT The Albanese Government’s failure to bring down grocery prices and the hardship it is causing Australian households dominated the recent Senate Cost of Living Committee hearing – and the evidence was today reinforced by the 2024 Foodbank Hunger Report. At the hearing in Canberra last week, Senator Dean Smith asked witnesses if any of the five major initiatives announced by Labor to reduce check-out costs would actually work. Labor policy failing or too late Those initiatives are the Emerson Review, ACCC Supermarkets inquiry, Merger Reforms, and changes to the Unit Pricing and Food and Grocery Codes, would have any material impact in reducing food and grocery prices. After a long pause, Coles and Woolworths representatives indicated they would work on reducing prices for consumers “irrespective of what the Government is proposing or not proposing”. It clearly indicated that the major supermarkets place little stock in the potential of Labor’s policies. ACCC and Treasury officials confirmed that the Albanese Government’s competition and consumer protection reforms are very far from implementation – with most not in place until late 2025 at the earliest. In fact, the ACCC noted that major competition issues, including persistent barriers to entry like high establishment costs and logistics arrangements, remain under-addressed by Labor’s proposals. This means that as shoppers approach the financially demanding Christmas holidays, they won’t be receiving any relief at the till from Labor’s policies. Turning to Unit Pricing and ‘shrinkflation’, Senator Smith referenced the example of a $4.50 box of Coles Brand Mighty Grain Cereal that contained 560g of cereal in October 2022, but only 495g in March 2024. Coles and Woolworths admitted shrinkflation is being noticed by customers, who are forced to pay more attention to unit-pricing to get maximum value from their weekly shop. And not only shoppers are suffering – Master Grocers, which represents independent grocers, said Labor’s proposed amendments to the Unit Pricing Code wrap smaller operators in red tape they are ill-equipped to manage during the cost-of-doing-business crisis. Foodbank Hunger Report 2024 It comes as Foodbank released its annual Hunger Report today, highlighting food security in Australia has now reached “a critical point”. The Report found 32 percent – or 3.4 million – Australian households experienced food insecurity this year, while the rate for low-income households was up to almost half, or 48 percent. Case studies note that the cost-of-living cris has seen the price of everything rise, while salaries have not and they are struggling desperately as a result. And the level of hardship is also more severe, with Foodbank reporting households are skipping meals, reducing portion sizes and even going days without eating. Critically, 2024 has been the first year in which many Australians have experienced food insecurity, with 74 percent of impacted households going hungry for the first during the last 12 months. The only conclusion is that the Albanese Government’s core supermarket price initiatives are either failing, or will be delivered too late, to ease pressure on Australian shoppers or small businesses – and that this is occurring as twin cost-of living and cost-of-doing-business crises are seeing record amounts of Australians unable to put food on the table. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “Labor’s five core proposals to deliver cost-of-living relief at the check-out are too little too late for shoppers or being shrugged off by stakeholders, with no material change to prices in sight.” “The Albanese Government’s changes to the Unit Pricing Code risk making business much harder for small grocers – not to mention their customers.” “Now the 2024 Hunger Report reveals nearly half of low-income households are food insecure, with the severity of that insecurity worse than ever.” “Yet again, Labor has dragged its heels in delivering policy with tangible outcomes that make life easier for consumers and Jim Chalmers and Andrew Leigh must explain why.” ENDS

Jmr – Howarth & Smith – Albanese Government Capitulates In Its War With Local Accountants And Bookkeepers

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The Hon Luke Howarth MP Shadow Assistant Treasurer Shadow Minister for Financial Services Senator Dean Smith Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, and Treasury MEDIA RELEASE 9 October 2024 ALBANESE GOVERNMENT CAPITULATES IN ITS WAR WITH LOCAL ACCOUNTANTS AND BOOKKEEPERS The Albanese Labor Government has relented on controversial new obligations it lobbed at Australia’s 72,000 tax practitioners in July. It should not take the threat of two disallowance motions, from both the Coalition and the Senate crossbench, to bring the Assistant Treasurer to the table to consult on regulation in good faith. After repeatedly dismissing outrage from tax practitioners and insisting the regulation was “a modest set of obligations”, the Assistant Treasurer capitulated and finally admitted the regulation was defective and that significant changes were required after a Senate vote on disallowance was negatived 31 votes to 31 votes last month. The Government has since scrambled to fix this botched regulation, with it continuing to be rewritten up until the eleventh-hour yesterday. With just hours before imminent disallowance, the Assistant Treasurer signed off on a new instrument and backed down at the last minute, once again. The Assistant Treasurer commenced public consultation, for a period of just five business days, eleven weeks after the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024 was made law. This is bad government and not a standard tax practitioners and their professional bodies should accept. It is also more costly red tape for small businesses which will be passed on to their clients at a time they can least afford it. The rewrite makes minor improvements to the most contentious aspects of the regulation. Although this might make compliance slightly easier for large firms, small firms and individual practitioners will still be left with an unnecessary and burdensome compliance nightmare. These smaller tax practitioners remain distraught, disappointed and fed up with how the Government has treated them. They do not want this new red tape in any form and do not accept the Government’s last-ditch attempt to “fix” this flawed regulation. It’s too little, too late and only a Coalition Government would entirely reverse these regulations and unwind this attack on local accountants, bookkeepers and tax agents from Labor and the Greens. ENDS

Littleproud, Taylor & Smith – JMR – Grocery competition go slow an indictment on a distracted government

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THE HON DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP Leader of the Nationals Shadow Minister for Agriculture Member for Maranoa THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP Shadow Treasurer Member for Hume SENATOR DEAN SMITH Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Senator for Western Australia MEDIA RELEASE Monday, 23 September 2024 GROCERY COMPETITION GO SLOW AN INDICTMENT ON A DISTRACTED GOVERNMENT Today’s delayed release of draft legislation to reform the Food & Grocery Code – more than three months after the government’s hand picked reviewer recommended it – shows that Labor has been distracted and divided on the cost of living. The panicked release of today’s draft legislation – which is unlikely to be legislated before the next election – is a clear demonstration of a government that is always on the backfoot. Australian families are paying the price for Labor’s failure on inflation and on competition policy. Since Labor came to office, prices have increased 10.2% and real wages have fallen by 3.3%. It is clear that the announcement of legal action against Coles and Woolworths by the ACCC should concern all Australian consumers. While it is important legal processes be allowed to run to their conclusion, the allegations if true are a damning indictment on a market sector that Australian families and farmers rely to act in good faith. In June, the Coalition announced a comprehensive package to deal with anti-competitive behaviour in the supermarket sector introducing: a Supermarket Commissioner, who will act as an impartial confidential avenue for farmers and suppliers infringement notices $2 million for contraventions of the code; and divestiture powers to address serious allegations of land banking, anti-competitive discounting, and unfairly passing costs onto suppliers Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said the Albanese Labor Government has been missing in action when it comes to the cost of living. “Labor has lost control of inflation, lost control of the economy, and lost control of its own legislative agenda. “The Coalition has been calling for stronger competition laws in our supermarket sector since the election, yet Labor has failed to act – delaying the Food & Grocery Code review and having now failed to implement its recommendations after three months. The Coalition is committed to delivering competition policy which supports consumers and smaller businesses, not lobbyists and big corporations.” Leader of the Nationals David Littleproud said the announcement today by the Prime Minister was too little too late and that there are Australians tonight who won’t eat because this government has been too slow to act. “The proposed code changes don’t come into effect until April 2025 and don’t go far enough with infringement notice penalties of just $187,700 compared to the Coalition’s $2 million. “The cost of living crisis is now not next year. “If this is the best the Prime Minister can do then he doesn’t understand the pain families and farmers are feeling now.” Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition Senator Dean Smith said only the Coalition has a genuine competition reform agenda. “Competitive markets benefit everyone by ensuring lower prices, creating more employment opportunities, and fostering innovation. “The Coalition’s policy for stronger penalties for anti-competitive behaviour will align Australia with our major trading partners, ensuring Australians get a fairer go.”   ENDS.

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Media Release – Not-for-profits given a voice on ATO rule changes

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA MEDIA RELEASE 18 September 2024   NOT-FOR-PROFITS GIVEN A VOICE ON ATO RULE CHANGES In a win for Australian not-for-profit organisations, a Senate inquiry will scrutinise the Albanese Government’s bungled implementation of new tax requirements. A motion introduced by Senator Dean Smith on behalf of the Coalition passed the Senate unopposed today. The Senate Economics References Committee will hold a public hearing into how ATO reporting obligations are impacting more than 155,000 non-charitable not-for-profit groups. Under the rules, they must lodge returns with the ATO to continuing their eligibility for income tax exemptions. These not-for-profits are often small organisations like sporting clubs or Landcare groups. Their focus is on delivering services and support to their local communities, and they have limited capacity to deal with regulatory burdens. They are facing confusion and frustration because of Labor’s mismanagement of these reporting requirements, causing many to consider either registering as a charity to guarantee their tax exemption or cease their activities altogether. Stakeholders have described a chaotic rollout process, characterised by vagueness and poor communication. Landcare Victoria’s Claire Hetzel is quoted in the Institute of Community Directors newsletter as saying that there is “confusion around what the definition of a charity is”. Ms Hetzel observed many groups are struggling to get their ABN details corrected to meet the new requirements, while others have received conflicting information from the ATO. The inquiry provides a long overdue forum for not-for-profits to share more of these experiences, as well as calling representatives of the ATO and other Government agencies. It is due to report on its findings by 31 October. Comments attributable to Senator Dean Smith: “This motion is the result of growing concerns raised with me by anxious, sometimes angry, not-for-profits across Australia.” “­The Coalition recognises how flawed Labor’s implementation of these reporting requirements has been – and how it is sapping the energy and motivation of organisations whose communities rely on them. “Running a not-for-profit should be encouraged by ensuring administrative obligations are straightforward and well managed by Government – and this is currently having the opposite effect. “I look forward to working with colleagues and stakeholders to explore how to deliver better outcomes for the not-for-profits sector.” ENDS

Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Opinion Piece – The West Australian – We’re worse off than in GFC

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SENATOR DEAN SMITH SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA OPINION PIECE – THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 18 September 2024 WE’RE WORSE OFF THAN IN GFC Remember 2008? It was the year the iPhone was first released in Australia, the ABC first aired Q&A, and Federal Parliament heard its first welcome to country. It was also the peak of the Global Financial Crisis, the year that Lehman Brothers infamously collapsed, and a time of worldwide economic uncertainty. Australia was not immune to the shockwaves of that crisis – characterised by business closures, layoffs, and crippling financial pressure on households. For many, Labor’s current cost-of-living crisis and our stagnating economy will bring back memories of that time nearly two decades ago. But what if I told you that, across many metrics, Australians are actually worse off today than they were during the GFC? These statistics will surprise you. GDP growth was at 2.9 per cent in 2008, this year it is at one per cent – the slowest rate of growth since the 1990s recession. The average household’s saving ratio was at 2.8 per cent. Today it is just 0.9 per cent. In 2008, amidst one of the worst financial meltdowns the world has ever seen, household debt as a share of income was 164 per cent. In 2024 it is 20 per cent higher, at 185 per cent. Perhaps the most alarming comparison is the number of business insolvencies. Last financial year 1,000 WA businesses failed, victims of Labor’s tandem cost-of-living and cost-of-doing business crises. Today’s figures are double what they were in 2008. That’s right, there have been twice as many insolvencies in WA this year than at the height of the GFC. It’s on a more modest scale at a national level, but still concerning, with 10,000 businesses insolvencies in 2008 compared to 11,000 this year. Even the best spin doctor on Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ team could only argue that these national figures are about equal. Imagine being ‘on par with GFC levels’ as a best-case economic scenario. That’s where Jim Chalmers and Labor find themselves now – and unfortunately they’re taking Australians with them. These statistics uncover a damning reality for the Albanese Labor Government: Australians are, across multiple measures, doing worse than they were during the peak of the Global Financial Crisis. They’re keeping less of what they earn, they’re in greater debt, and they’re working in and trying to run businesses that are struggling to stay afloat. This isn’t because Australians can’t manage their money, they can. It’s because Labor can’t manage the nation’s money. And Australians are struggling to make ends meet in an economy held in a vice-like grip by Labor’s sticky, homegrown inflation. This reality appears to be unnerving the Treasurer, who has started resorting to personal attacks against Peter Dutton, attempting to shift blame to Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michelle Bullock, and generally deflecting responsibility for Australia’s economic woes. It’s quite an unravelling from a man who came into the job as a self-confident economic philosophiser, publishing essays about how he was going to “transform” Australian capitalism. If he pulled his head out of the clouds, Jim Chalmers would see that this Government’s policies have indeed transformed our economy – just not for the better. The sad result of Labor’s economic mismanagement is that we have lost our status as the “lucky country”. We were once the exception to the rule, the envy of the world, weathering economic storms from commodity price shocks to Asia-Pacific regional disruptions, even the GFC. In fact, whilst Australia’s economy took a hit in 2008, it was still ahead of most developed economies by almost any measure. Successive Budget surpluses delivered during the Howard years, and key reforms like the GST, paved the way for Australia to avoid a recession during the GFC – one of the only nations to do so. As then RBA Governor Glenn Stevens said at the time, “there would be very few countries, if any, which would not envy Australia’s fiscal position”. Now, Australia is the exception for all the wrong reasons. Our inflation rate is higher than all the G7 nations, including the UK, USA, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and France. Our rate of economic growth is lower than the average of the world’s advanced economies and we are experiencing a per capita recession. Worst of all, the gap between our savings ratios and that of other developed economies has widened to a chasm – the average Australian household is saving 3 per cent less than those in the US, 10 per cent less than the UK, and nearly 15 per cent less than the EU. Australians deserve better. For decades, we have come to expect a certain way of life. Now Labor and its fiscal incompetence are risking it, failing to meet the high standard we rightly expect of an Australian Government. So it’s no surprise that the latest Essential polling data shows 52 per cent of Australians think the country is headed in the wrong direction, and other polls this month have recorded a majority two-party preferred preference for the Coalition. Despite their best efforts, the public knows that the buck stops with the Treasurer and the Albanese Government. Fifty-one pre cent of voters believe the Government is primarily responsible for getting a lid on inflation – with only 27 per cent blaming the RBA. It has failed to deliver on its promises, failed to manage the economy, and sent our nation in the wrong direction. It’s time to get the economy and the country back on track – and only a Coalition government will do it.