Restoring public trust in charities - reforming governance and enforcement

Rosemary Langford
ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

The charitable sector is an essential part of the social fabric and economy in Australia. Public trust in the sector has been damaged by governance failures (particularly in religious contexts), exacerbated by the sector’s complex and incoherent governance system. As yet, there has been limited academic consideration or empirical analysis of the effectiveness of the governance and regulatory framework of the sector or concrete reform proposals. The aim of this project is to undertake crucial comparative analysis and empirical research of these aspects, and to develop proposals for effective law and policy reform in order to strengthen and maximize the sector’s capacity to contribute to the social and economic life in Australia.