NGOs blast government gag rule

A national public health body has slammed the Newman government's "gag order" on community organisations, saying it will strip service providers of one of their vital roles.

Queensland Health grant contracts now included clauses preventing non-government organisations advocating for state and federal legislative change, a spokesman for Minister Lawrence Springborg confirmed last night.

“We're making it clear that we want to fund outcomes but not advocacy," the spokesman said.

Public Health Association of Australia acting chief executive Melanie Walker said she was not aware of any federal government-funded community organisation that had been subjected to similar conditions and was concerned for Queensland NGOs.


"It's not that non-government organisations, particularly those in service provision, are particularly radical or political organisations, it's just that those working on the front line often do have insights about what changes can be made in government policy or legislation to assist the recipients of their services," she said.

"This inhibits not just government developing a better understanding of some of the concerns of service providers, but also those community service provision organisations being able to make the broader community aware of some of the problems they face in delivering those services."

Queensland Health has historically provided funding to a raft of organisations including health service providers, charities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health groups.

It is unclear at this stage which of these groups may have had the new conditions imposed, but it is understood as many as 10 organisations so far may have been asked to sign contracts with the "gag" clauses.

Premier Campbell Newman's department said this morning the clauses had been introduced only in Queensland Health grants contracts.

Queensland Council of Social Service president Karyn Walsh said the non-government sector would be largely disappointed with the conditions.

"The distinction between lobbying for legislation and policy advocacy is sometimes a fine line, but we believe it's important in a democracy that NGOs are allowed to advocate," she said.

"It's important that NGOs maintain the core function of their service agreement ... but that doesn't mean that people can't organise themselves voluntarily, and often on top of the work that they're doing, to advocate for what we need, what we believe the population needs, and what the sector needs."

Read more:

http://www.juliecollins.fahcsia.gov.au/node/226
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/ngos-blast-government-gag-rule-201208...