A landmark report released on Wednesday by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has revealed that Australians gave $11.2 billion to charity last year, nearly two and a half per cent more than the year before.
Speaking at Mission Australia’s Surry Hills facility, ACNC Commissioner, Susan Pascoe, highlighted the report’s key findings and said the Australian Charities Report 2015 will challenge people’s perception of the charity sector.
“This new report shows that Australia’s charity sector is huge and appears to be growing, both in terms of its geographic spread, and its share of the Australian economy,” Pascoe said.
Commissioner Pascoe also introduced the new Registered Charity Tick – a new logo to help donors easily identify charities registered with, and regulated by, the ACNC.
“Registered charities are transparent, accountable, and must meet the ACNC’s governance standards and reporting requirements,” Pascoe said.
“Thanks to the new Charities Report, we now know the sector is one of our largest employers, accounting for approximately 10 per cent of Australia’s total workforce.
“Over 1.2 million Australians are employed by a registered charity, meaning the sector is second only to the retail industry.”
The annual Australian Charities Report, the third of its kind, assessed the income, assets, expenses, and activities of Australia’s registered charities.
“According to the latest World Giving Index, Australia is the third most charitable country in the world,” Pascoe said.
“This is supported by the new Australian Charities Report, which found that Australians donated $11.2 billion to charity – 2.4 per cent more than the year prior.
“Additionally, we found that nearly three million Australians volunteered for a registered charity.”
The Chair of the ACNC Advisory Board and UNICEF Australia CEO, Tony Stuart, said the 2015 edition of the report would contribute to the community’s understanding of the sector.
“For the first time we are able to identify and track changes in the combined financial situation of Australia’s charity sector,” Stuart said.
“This is an invaluable resource for policy makers, academics, and charities themselves.
“The Australian Charities Report 2015 clearly shows that this is an economically significant sector that provides vital services to our community.”
The Australian Charities Report 2015 was produced in partnership by the ACNC and the Centre for Social Impact at the University of New South Wales.
Centre for Social Impact CEO, Dr Andrew Young, said that the 2015 report is the most comprehensive record to date of the Australian charity sector.
“For the first time the report calculates the size and shape of the whole of the sector with over 51,000 individual charities included,” Young said.
“We are now able to start to understand change over time and explore indicators of financial sustainability.”