Greens to challenge regulator decision over charity status

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has announced his party plans to challenge a decision by the charities regulator not to pursue the Church, after he alleged it campaigned against the Greens during the Federal election campaign, reports the ABC.

Last month the ABC reported that the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) had threatened the tax-free status of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV).

In June, the executive director of the CECV, Stephen Elder, had written to parents and carers about Federal education funding, and said the Greens' policy on Catholic schools was "highly problematic."

The ACNC wrote to the Church, expressing concern that its activities were "placing the charity at risk of being found to have a disqualifying purpose and therefore affect the charity's entitlement to registration as a charity."

The regulator took no further action against CECV.

ACNC commissioner Susan Pascoe explained that charities were directed towards guidelines issued by the commission on what was acceptable behaviour during election campaigns.

"We had a number of charities that were swimming extremely close to the flags, but didn't quite go outside the flags.

Coalition sources had told the ABC they were concerned the Church had been issued with a "please explain," when environmental groups such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and Environment Victoria had not — despite allegations they had been campaigning against Liberal sources.