The Irish child abuse report released last week attached secondary blame to government school inspectors. It said the system of inspection by the Department of Education was 'fundamentally flawed and incapable of being effective'. The report cited inspectors' reluctance to challenge the authority of the religious congregations running the institutions, and the lack of a state regulatory authority with the power to insist on changes being made.
'The deferential and submissive attitude of the Department of Education towards the congregations compromised its ability to carry out its statutory duty of inspection and monitoring of the schools,' the report said. 'The Reformatory and Industrial Schools Section of the Department was accorded a low status within the Department and generally saw itself as facilitating the congregations and the resident managers.'
When news of the Irish report broke in Australia, commentary pointed to the need to scrutinise Irish priests and religious who were reassigned to Australia, to check that they did not leave Ireland because they were sex offenders. But a more far-reaching implication for Australia is the urgent need to look at the state of regulations governing care in our entire not-for-profit sector.
Professor Mark Lyons of the Centre for Social Impact at the University of New South Wales told ABC Radio National's Stephen Crittenden that Australia is a long way behind its international peers.
'There were some quite significant transformations and adjustments made in the UK after the election of the Blair government in 1997, [including] important recognitions of the diverse role of the not-for-profit sector, and levels of support within government, and not just financial support, but actually policy understanding.'
Research data reveals that Australia has 40,000 staffed not-for-profit organisations. The sector employs almost 900,000 people. Its huge turnover makes it larger than the Australian communications sector and roughly equivalent to agriculture. But regulation is either lacking, or riddled with inconsistencies. Most significantly, there is little discussion of what kind of regulation should prevail — economic or human.
In Australia, the Rudd Government says it is determined to improve regulation of the sector. It has asked the Productivity Commission to look into how to measure the sector's contribution to society, and eliminate obstacles that are holding it back. Initial submissions are due this Friday.
Previous studies have focused on the sector's contribution to the economy as the key to its sustainability. But giving priority to a business case would surely undermine the mission of organisations