PUBLIC LECTURE: Silencing Dissent: an exploration of the relationship between NGOs and Government

This is the first event in a new lecture series co-presented by the Australian Greens and the Institute of Advanced Studies at UWA:

from non-profit to more-than-profit organisations: the changing role of the third sector in Australia

While most people are aware that the ‘not for profit’ sector is a major contributor to Australian society through its provision of a wide range of community and personal services, most are surprised to learn just what a major contributor the sector is to the Australian economy, and to employment in particular. According to the ABS, the sector accounts for more than 3.3 per cent of Australia’s GDP. There are growing pressures and demands on the sector, particularly over the sectors role of advocacy. Despite the large size of the sector, and the growing reliance of all levels of government on this sector for providing an ever widening array of services, there has been very little attention paid to the regulatory environment in which the sector operates. This series will focus on the positive contribution that the not for profit sector makes to Australia, the growing threats and demands faced by the sector, and the need to develop a new regulatory and funding model to ensure that the sector can thrive in the coming century.

Biographical note: Dr Richard Denniss is strategic adviser to the Australian Greens Senate team. Before taking up his current position, Richard was the Deputy Director of the Australia Institute, a Canberra-based think tank; was Chief of Staff to the then Leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Natasha Stott Despoja; and lectured in economics at the University of Newcastle. He is an economist with a particular interest in regulation and the role of government. He has published widely on such issues and was the co-author of Silencing Dissent: non-government organisations and Australian democracy and the recently published Affluenza: when too much is never enough, with Clive Hamilton.

All Welcome, No RSVP required