Law Council of Australia

Resources

Draft Code of Best Practice for Engagement with the Not-for-Profit Sector

Submission Date: 29 April 2013

The Law Council of Australia provided a submission to the Office for the Not-for-Profit Sector (NFP), Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) on the Draft Code of Best Practice for Engagement with the Not-for-Profit Sector, Engaging today for a better tomorrow (the Draft Code). 

The Law Council is acutely aware of how important effective engagement between the Government and NFP sector is in the formulation of policies and draft legislation. Accordingly, the Law Council welcomes the creation of the Draft Code as an important practical tool to guide and strengthen the Government’s consultation and engagement with NFP organisations. Notwithstanding this, the Law Council also has some concerns with the Draft Code that it considers should be addressed before the Draft Code is finalised. These concerns relate to:

  1. the absence of firm timeframes for consultation and engagement with organisations in the NFP sector;
  2. the vagueness of the language used in the Draft Code;
  3. the absence of appropriate guidance in relation to consultations and engagement with Indigenous people; and
  4. the suitability of the proposed evaluation process for reviewing agencies’ consultation processes.

The Law Council has previously expressed some of these concerns in correspondence to Government ministers, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, in the context of the importance of upholding appropriate legislative standards. In these letters, the Law Council expressed particular concern about the importance of ensuring adequate timeframes for consultation for both legislative and policy proposals.

Related Documents

Last Updated on 30/04/2025

Share

Tags

Most recent items


Trending Items