Charities bill hits Pauline Hanson hurdle

A plan to strengthen the ability of the charities regulator to investigate and penalise activist organisations faces a new roadblock, with One Nation identifying problems with the proposed shake-up.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation will likely determine whether the Morrison government passes amendments to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act. Picture: Getty Images.

A government plan to strengthen the ability of the charities regulator to investigate and penalise activist organisations faces a new roadblock, with One Nation identifying problems with the proposed shake-up.

The Morrison government is planning to beef up existing laws and give the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission stronger powers to investigate and deregister “activist” organisations “masquerading as charities”.

Championed by Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar, the new powers face a hurdle in the form of a disallowance motion introduced by Rex Patrick.

Senator Patrick’s motion would have struck out the changes making it easier for the regulator to strip organisations of their charity status.

Under proposed amendments, organisations can be deregistered for offences committed by individuals associated with the charity.

The disallowance motion has been deferred until November 25, but One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and her upper-house colleague Malcolm Roberts are unlikely to support it. Senator Hanson said she supported the government’s crackdown on activist charities, but the proposed changes contained “careless wording” that could harm religious charities and churches.

“The merits of the (government’s) regulation appear genuine, and Senator Roberts and I support the deregistration of charities that disrupt business or encourage unlawful acts such as trespass, particularly on private property,” she said. “What’s important is that we get the regulation right, and I’ll be speaking with the Assistant Minister to the Treasurer before we make our final decision.”

After initially planning on introducing his disallowance motion this week, Senator Patrick accused the Morrison government of double standards by its imposing of tougher standards on charities than on government ministers.

Labor and the Greens support his disallowance motion, but One Nation hold the decisive votes.

“This is overreach by the government, expecting charities to have absolute control over individuals and external entities,” Senator Patrick said. “If a similar provision was applied to Prime Minister statements of ministerial standards, we’d only have half a cabinet.”

Supporters of strengthened powers for the ACNC – including the Australian Forest Product Association and Queensland Resources Council – said donations for charities should not go towards illegal activities.

Critics argue the regulation is a blatant attack on the “free speech of charities”.

Ray Yoshida, a spokesman for Hands Off Our Charities – a coalition of 100 charitable ­organisations – said the crackdown would affect people “right across the socio-economic spectrum”.