In Australia, a common trend has emerged that needs to be expunged. Every time there is a need in our community, people immediately say “What is the Government going to do about it?”
To be fair, Government can’t – and shouldn’t – be involved in every aspect of our lives. Often the community and charities must rally - and work together to identify and help fill the gaps in Government programs and funding.
Ross Greenwood
Which, when you think about it, is exactly what the Humpty Dumpty Foundation is all about. The community, through events, raises money which helps important causes including the provision of medical equipment for neonatal and maternity wards. It takes pressure off Government and means the effort of the community is directed at the very place it views as a priority. For Government, with so many competing interests, the focus can rarely be as concentrated.
Australians are highly generous people. The Charities Aid Foundation report in 2022 identified Australians as the fourth most generous, out of 119 countries surveyed. Again, this makes sense. We are – per capita – among the wealthiest people on the planet. Three in five Australians, in that year, made some form of donation to charity.
There are also different forms of charity. For some it is putting some money in a tin. For others, it is donating their time to a cause. But as the cost of living rises, more people make hard choices about where their money goes. And after 12 interest rate rises, and energy prices going up…the competing interests become real. But remember, the donation you make today also takes pressure off Government, and your taxes, in the future.
It is younger families that often feel the squeeze from the cost of living the hardest. Which is why, traditionally, older Australians tend to be more generous. Time and money … the priorities change as we get older.
Which is also why more Australians are prepared to make a charitable bequeath as a part of their will. There is demographic sense in this too. Around 40 percent of women who live alone are now aged over 70.
Single person households are expected to rise from around 2.25 million today, to between 3 million and 3.5 million by 2041, according to the Bureau of Statistics. Those single person households may ultimately be the recipients of charity, donors to charity through time and money during their lives…and benefactors after they have gone.
While, for many, family will always be the primary responsibility when considering wills and estates…the idea of leaving something behind, to help the community and others less fortunate, will always be a strong motivating factor in deciding where to leave their wealth. And it continues the admirable quality that Australians are among the most generous people on earth.
By Ross Greenwood
Australian print and television journalist