Vanessa Meachen

During the past week the word ‘philanthropy’ has appeared frequently in the headlines of Australian media – more than it’s generally used in an entire year. It was not for any of the reasons the …

I was lucky enough to attend Philanthropy Australia’s Community Foundation Forum in Mackay, Queensland, last week. Lucky because while this was the 12th forum, it was the first I had attended myself, and lucky also …

As part of Australia’s current regulatory reforms, many charities which have not previously had to lodge financial reports will be required to report to the new Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Among these newly …

  ‘Blurred boundaries’ is a phrase often used to indicate an erosion of the once-clear line between grantmakers and grantseekers. That demarcation was crystal-clear when I first began working at Philanthropy Australia in the late …

Caroline Hartnell’s post of 14 October, Do we really want to entrust our futures to a growing group of benevolent dictators? Just asking… struck a real chord for me, particularly given the context of what’s …

At Philanthropy Australia’s biannual Member Seminar on 22 September, one of the most resonant questions asked of speaker Robert Fitzgerald – chair of the advisory panel to the soon-to-be-established Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) …

Australia is in an interesting position culturally and geographically – while historically its modern culture is from the British cultural tradition, it is physically located in the Asia-Pacific and home to a diverse population, one-third …

Observers could be forgiven for thinking that Australia has been a nation of much talk but little action when it comes to reform of the not-for-profit sector. Along with many other jurisdictions with a common-law …