NCOSS Welcomes Clubgrants Review Progress

NCOSS WELCOMES CLUBGRANTS REVIEW PROGRESS

Peak social services body NCOSS has welcomed the NSW Government’s release of the ClubGRANTS Review Terms of Reference but called for continued transparency through the process.

NCOSS Acting CEO Ben McAlpine said that the Terms of Reference appear sufficiently broad to reflect the concerns raised by NCOSS and others, and noted the NSW Government’s commitment to restoring integrity and public trust in Government grants.

“The ClubGRANTS Scheme is broken, and it has been from the very start,” Mr McAlpine said.

“When we welcomed the announcement of the ClubGRANTS Review, we said that it needs to be done so in a fair, open and transparent manner.

“We are pleased to see that a discussion paper will be released for public comment which will allow input from the community and interested stakeholders.

“However, we are concerned that the Terms of Reference do not require the final report and government response to be publicly released.

“Given one of the core issues with this Scheme is the lack of transparency and oversight, we believe it is only fair that the final report and government response be made public to ensure a fully transparent Review process.

“NCOSS will continue to advocate for an overhaul of the scheme to address long-standing community concerns about the disproportionate influence of Clubs on the distribution of taxpayer funds intended to help the most vulnerable.

“We thank the NSW Government for its progress on this Review.”

Media contact: Billy Briggs | 0474 697 235