Family First has welcomed the Coalition’s backflip on granting special tax-deductible status for the radical LGBTQA+ political lobby group Equality Australia.
Family First National Director and NSW Legislative Council candidate Lyle Shelton said the decision represented a welcome change of heart after the Coalition initially supported a Senate committee recommendation that Equality Australia be granted the highly prized Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
“Family First publicly criticised the Coalition last week for waving through the recommendation to legislate Equality Australia’s special leg-up from the taxpayer, a privilege not available to other political lobby groups,” Mr Shelton said.
“Family First also lodged a submission to the Senate inquiry warning that Equality Australia is a political lobby group, not a charity deserving taxpayer-subsidised donations.
“Family First’s submission pointed out that Labor is legislating to give EA special treatment after the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission knocked it back because the rules don’t allow DGR status for political lobby groups.
“That decision was upheld by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and again by the Full Federal Court.”
Mr Shelton said Family First’s submission was noted on page 28 of the committee report but ignored by the Coalition and Labor in the final recommendations.
The gift to EA is in Schedule 5, the Coalition’s dissenting report said –
“1.1 Coalition Senators do not oppose Schedules 3, 4, 5 and 6. These measures are largely technical and should proceed.”
Mr Shelton said: “We welcome the Coalition’s change of heart.”
During yesterday’s Senate debate, Liberal Senator Claire Chandler announced the Liberals would now move amendments to oppose DGR status for EA.
“This proposal was always wrong. Equality Australia is a political lobby group that campaigns against the religious freedom of Christian schools, against the sex-based rights of girls and women and promotes experimental gender treatments for children that leave them chemically castrated and surgically mutilated.”
Mr Shelton said the organisation has been a leading voice advocating so-called “gender-affirming care”, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery for gender-confused minors.
He also renewed Family First’s call for the Governor-General Sam Mostyn to resign her role as co-patron of Equality Australia alongside the LGBTQA+ drag queen Shane Jenek, also known as Courtney Act.
“Organisations engaged in that kind of political activism should not be rewarded with special tax privileges or Vice-Regal patronage.”
Mr Shelton also pointed to a previous controversy involving Australia’s taxpayer-funded broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Jenek.
“In June 2021, the ABC quietly de-linked its ABC Kids Community Facebook page from Shane Jenek’s ‘Courtney Act’ Facebook page after public exposure of the fact children were being taken one click away from sexualised adult content.
“The then ABC managing director David Anderson admitted it was inappropriate for the public broadcaster to link a children’s page to Jenek’s page.”
Contact details:
