The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has raised only $21.7m out of a target of $357m in donations more than two years after it was awarded the largest single environmental grant in Australian history. It has prompted Labor to call for greater transparency from the foundation about its fundraising, while the Greens have said the figure “makes a mockery of the government’s logic” for awarding the grant. The charity controversially received $443m for reef projects in 2018, with the government defending its decision at the time by saying the private foundation would leverage the funds to attract further investment in reef restoration and science from the private sector.
In response to questions from Guardian Australia, the foundation said it had raised $21.7m in in-kind donations from research and project partners, about 6% of the total $357m target. It has raised none of the $100m from the capital campaign and refused to provide any figures to show how it was tracking towards targets for corporate giving and individual donations. A spokeswoman said the Covid-19 pandemic had now “made the fundraising environment more challenging and uncertain for many not-for-profits across Australia and around the world”.
Labor’s environment spokeswoman, Terri Butler, called for more transparency from the foundation about how and when it would deliver on its investment promises. “The Liberals and Nationals justification for this dodgy backroom deal was that the reef foundation would be able to secure money from the private sector,” she said. “It is concerning that almost two years after receiving almost half-a-billion dollars of public money, without a tender, in a dodgy backroom deal from Scott Morrison, there is no clear detail on funds raised from the private sector.”
Source: Guardian
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