Did you know that charities working to advocate for the welfare of animals or reduce catastrophic disaster risks can’t currently accept tax-deductible donations? This hurts fundraising, and community organising – ultimately making them less impactful.

The Productivity Commission is in the middle of a once-in-a-generation review of Australia’s charity laws. Because of the good work of members of our community, the draft report includes many of the things we’re after. The draft recommends expanding tax-deductible status to preventative animal welfare charities, like the Alliance for Animals, as well as charities seeking to prevent catastrophic disasters, like The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Good Ancestors.

The draft report also has other exciting recommendations – like removing restrictions on charities like Effective Altruism Australia from doing community-building across a range of causes, supporting public interest journalism, and allowing charities and communities to be more involved in policy advocacy.

But the job isn’t done and we haven’t got everything we asked for. At this event we’ll celebrate how far we’ve come and make new arguments that preempt established for-profit interest groups going on the attack. The road ahead won’t be easy.

At this event, we'll explain the process so far, what you can do now to help, and what the path to success looks like. We'll also provide all the materials you need to easily make a submission to the process. You’ll easily be able to make a submission during the event or have the materials necessary to lodge one before the deadline on 9 February.

There'll be vegetarian and vegan food, so bring your appetite. It's probably the most impactful thing you could think to do with your evening, so bring your laptop too!

Location: The University of Queensland, Building 46 (Andrew N. Liveris), Room 230 Collaborative Room