Thomas Kelly’s charity director father Ralph on $125,000

THE father of fatal-punch victim Thomas Kelly was paid $125,000 last year from the foundation he set up in his son’s name, more than half the annual funds.

Ralph Kelly

• Anti lockout law protestors a ‘vocal minority’
• ‘It’s bittersweet ... but amazing’: Thomas Kelly’s parents praise drinking reforms
• Thomas Kelly murder case: Timeline

THE father of fatal-punch victim Thomas Kelly was paid $125,000 in wages last financial year from the foundation he set up in his son’s name — more than half the annual funds raised by the charity.

Ralph Kelly, the director and sole employee of anti-­violence charity The Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation, was paid 51 per cent of the charity’s annual revenue of $243,373 as employment benefits in 2014-2015, according to the foundation’s latest financial report.

The payment — which is 1.6 times the average Australian wage — was paid with the full support of the board of directors, which includes Senior Australian Of The Year emergency doctor professor Gordian Fulde and CEO of St Vincent’s Public Hospitals Patricia O’Rourke.

Mr Kelly set up the foundation after his 18-year-old son was fatally punched in an unprovoked attack in 2012.

The public outcry at his son’s death and concerns over an increase in alcohol-fuelled violence have given the foundation strong public support, with the charity receiving $568,973 in donations over two years. Last year the foundation raised $160,000 at a sold-out gala dinner.

In the financial report — independently audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers — it states the foundation spent $43,234 in the 2014-2015 financial on fundraising activities that netted more than $240,000.

The foundation’s website says donations go on lobbying all levels of government on harm caused by alcohol. They also go to fund the Take Kare program, which includes a venture with City of Sydney and The Salvation Army to provide safe spaces for young people in the CBD on Friday and Saturday nights.

One-punch victim Thomas Kelly.

A spokesman for the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission said there were no regulations on how much of a charity’s revenue can be spent on employee benefits and operational costs.

“The ACNC expects charities to have administration costs. However, these costs will vary depending on the type of charity, its charitable purpose, and the activities it undertakes in pursuit of its charitable purpose,” he said.

“A charity can pay a staff member and, sometimes, a board or committee member for their work, but not an unreasonable amount.”

The Daily Telegraph attempted to contact Mr Kelly and other board members but did not receive a response by deadline.