Sex Party Demands Access to Dirty Diaries: Action on Christian Lobbyists

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Published on Monday, 19 May 2014 00:53

The Sex Party believes that the Abbott government should follow the NSW government lead by introducing systems that will improve transparency - including publishing Ministerial diaries on a quarterly basis.

In her post-Budget press release, Fiona Patten pointed to religious organisations and the overwhelming preferential treatment they continue to enjoy in the Australian tax system. She says Australians should be rightly concerned at the level of influence Church related groups have at Government level.

“Mr Abbott’s relationship with Cardinal Pell is well known, Ms Patten said, “and despite his recent departure for Rome the Federal Budget shows that his influence is alive and well in Canberra. “

As another example Ms Patten points to Kevin Andrews, Social Services Minister and has questioned his ability to act in the national interest, given his staunch religious views and relationship with bodies such as the Australian Christian Lobby.

The Australian Christian Lobby is active at all levels of government and campaigns against same-sex marriage, voluntary euthanasia and drug law reform. Last year Jim Wallace, head of the ACL, made headlines by likening the children of same-sex marriages to children of the Stolen Generation.

Kevin Andrews is prominent on the ACL website and in a video link on the site endorses the organisation.

Kevin Andrews is the minister responsible for the recent move to abolish the Charities Commission (ACNC) which the Sex Party believes will lead to less transparency of religious based organisations which receive substantial tax benefits.

A search of the ACNC and ASIC websites show that the Australian Christian Lobby is a Public Company and yet is classified as a Charitable Institution, and as such would receive GST concessions, FBT rebates as well as being exempt from income tax.

“It may come as a surprise to many that the Tax Office will grant charity status (and associated tax benefits) to organisations listing their sole purpose as “promotion of religion”, Ms Patten said

“It is quite obvious that the ACL is a political organisation, pushing its own intolerant, small-minded agenda. Under what test has it been granted the status of a Charitable Institution”?

“I am all for defending freedom of speech but the fact that Australian taxpayers seem to be subsidising this political lobby group which is totally out of touch with modern Australia through substantial tax breaks and charitable status is intolerable”.

Ms Patten called on both sides of politics to urgently review the tax concessions provided to Churches and religious organisations that are costing tax payers billions of dollars a year.