Tight poll could help not-for-profits influence the federal agenda

Speaking as the headline guest at last week’s quarterly ICDA webinar, the Not-for-profit Agenda, the Legalise Cannabis Party Senate representative said not-for-profits could benefit from a minority government, as it would rely on minor parties – and therefore more negotiation – for legislation to pass.

Patten said early predictions suggested a Labor minority government was quite possible, and that such a government would create new opportunities for the sector.

“We can look back to the last time we had a minority government, which was when we had Prime Minister Julia Gillard. An awful lot of progressive legislation was enacted in that time.

“The government was challenged, the government needed to play with others, to work with others to achieve their agenda. But it also meant that they had to listen to the objectives of others. And that does provide that opportunity for a greater number of voices to take part in the decision making, to take part in the development of legislation and regulation.”

The Not-for-profit Agenda was streamed live from ICDA headquarters to an audience of hundreds of not-for-profit leaders. (Watch a full replay here.)

The event also featured expert commentary from a string of sector leaders:

• Cassandra Goldie, chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS)
• Emma Dawson, chief executive of progressive economics think tank Per Capita
• Kasy Chambers and Maiy Azize, executive director and deputy director, respectively, of Anglicare Australia
• Peter Lewis, director of Essential Media
• Josie Lee, advocacy and policy lead at Oxfam
• David Gilchrist, professor and economist at the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Public Value
• Helen Hodgson, tax reform expert at Curtin University and former WA Democrats MLC
• Terese Edwards, CEO of Single Mother Families Australia.

Poll reveals sector sees advantages with minority Labor

A snap poll during the show revealed that more than a third (37%) of those present believed a minority Labor government would deliver better results for the sector.

Just over a quarter (26%) would want to assess party policies before deciding which party was more likely to deliver a better deal for the sector.

And while 16.5% believed a majority Labor government would deliver for the sector, only 6% thought a Coalition majority government would achieve the same.

Just 3% thought a minority Coalition government would be good for achieving sector goals.

Now’s the time to knock on doors

Asked whether now was a good time for NFPs and charities to seek a better deal from their local federal MP, Patten said: “I certainly think it is. The politicians are acutely aware of the popularity competition that they are in right now. And so, for those lower house candidates, they want to be seen and they want to be liked by their community.”

She said “good politicians” would be listening, but she also stressed that registered charities should avoid being partisan, and should seek support across parliament for their cause.

She said that all candidates were expected to be listed on the Australian Electoral Commission website by early this week for organisations seeking to get in touch for surveys, events, invitations and meetings.

Patten stressed that community organisations were “a valuable asset to those members of Parliament”.

“Good members of Parliament want to know what's going on in their community. They want to know what people are thinking. They want to know what people need. It behooves you to tell them.”

ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie, speaking in a video interview, said that any organisations pushing for a policy change or funding should be very clear about their “ask” in their preparations for a meeting.

“Be very clear about what your ask is, and make that clear as quickly as possible,” Goldie said.

“Politicians have lots of meetings, and one of the bits of feedback I get is often they're sitting there for a long time going, what's this person want?”

She said pitches should be brief, in writing, and “bold, clear and very persuasive”.

She said community leaders should ask themselves “‘Is there a way that I can connect them to the reality of the community that I'm representing?’ because as we know, in the end, what's most persuasive in changing somebody's mind is changing their heart.”

Patten fires up her own cannabis campaign

Commenting on her own prospects, Patten was sanguine about her chances as someone battling for the sixth spot on the Victorian Senate ticket, and one considered to be in a neck-and-neck fight with the Clive Palmer–backed Trumpet of Patriots candidate.

“To me that just seems like such an amazing contrast, but that’s the vagaries of the Senate vote,” Patten said.

“I’m definitely in there with a chance if I can get maybe five, six per cent of the vote.”

As a political operative who has been at the forefront of minor party politics, including as the leader of the Sex Party, later renamed the Reason Party, Patten told the webinar audience that the rise of minority parties had been fuelled by dissatisfaction with major parties.

She cited the example of seeing progressive gambling reforms rejected in the Victorian parliament by Labor MPs voting on party lines.

“I watched my Labor colleagues all support this terrible piece of legislation, but looking at their feet when they did it. I think that that kind of groupthink … is not really in line with where we are in a 21st century.”