“Australian aid charities have zero tolerance for money laundering or terrorism financing and have robust regimes in place to respond to those risks.”

These are the words of Marc Purcell, CEO of Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), responding to the release of the Austrac report ‘Terrorism Financing South East Asia and Australia: Regional Risk Assessment 2016’.

“ACFID members fully support efforts to reduce the vulnerability of aid and development groups to abuse by terrorist organisations and have actively worked with the Australian Government to develop the counter-terrorism and financial controls they must comply with,” Purcell said.

“The Australian public has always been generous in supporting humanitarian causes. The Australian Government’s requirements and the ACFID Code support the public to continue that generosity. The best way to ensure the safety of their donation is prudence, not avoidance,” he said.

The Austrac report proposed that peak bodies for charities have counter-terrorism and financing requirements for their members.

“ACFID has had such a regime in place for many years,” Purcell said.

“All 128 members are required to sign our ACFID Code of Conduct that commits them to high standards of good practice, transparency and accountability. Members must have in place policies and processes to manage financial wrongdoing.

“Before ACFID Members enter into any partnerships or employ staff, they’re expected to check all relevant lists of known terrorist individuals and organisations. That includes the Attorney-General’s Department’s ‘List of Terrorist Organisations’.”

Purcell said, “We recognise the risks and our members have long experience in effectively managing them. It’s important that those risks are managed to enable those in greatest need to continue to receive assistance.”