Author Archive:

Vanessa Meachen

Opinion Vanessa Meachen and Philanthropy Australia 12 December 2012

There is nothing like a Dame!

During the past week the word ‘philanthropy’ has appeared frequently in the headlines of Australian media – more than it’s generally used in an entire year. It was not for any of the reasons the …

Opinion 3 Vanessa Meachen and Philanthropy Australia 27 August 2012

Community foundations in Australia: constraint is the mother of invention

I was lucky enough to attend Philanthropy Australia’s Community Foundation Forum in Mackay, Queensland, last week. Lucky because while this was the 12th forum, it was the first I had attended myself, and lucky also …

Opinion Vanessa Meachen and Philanthropy Australia 2 May 2012

Total transparency? Perfect privacy? Beneficial balance?

As part of Australia’s current regulatory reforms, many charities which have not previously had to lodge financial reports will be required to report to the new Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Among these newly …

Opinion 1 Vanessa Meachen and Philanthropy Australia 9 February 2012

Grantmaker or grantseeker – where are the boundaries?

  ‘Blurred boundaries’ is a phrase often used to indicate an erosion of the once-clear line between grantmakers and grantseekers. That demarcation was crystal-clear when I first began working at Philanthropy Australia in the late …

Opinion 1 Vanessa Meachen and Philanthropy Australia 11 November 2011

The elephant in philanthropy’s room

Caroline Hartnell’s post of 14 October, Do we really want to entrust our futures to a growing group of benevolent dictators? Just asking… struck a real chord for me, particularly given the context of what’s …

Opinion 1 Vanessa Meachen and Philanthropy Australia 29 September 2011

Codes of conduct: enforcement or endorsement?

At Philanthropy Australia’s biannual Member Seminar on 22 September, one of the most resonant questions asked of speaker Robert Fitzgerald – chair of the advisory panel to the soon-to-be-established Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) …

Opinion Vanessa Meachen and Philanthropy Australia 23 August 2011

Beyond our borders

Australia is in an interesting position culturally and geographically – while historically its modern culture is from the British cultural tradition, it is physically located in the Asia-Pacific and home to a diverse population, one-third …

Opinion 1 Vanessa Meachen 22 July 2011

At last, a definition of charity for Australia

Observers could be forgiven for thinking that Australia has been a nation of much talk but little action when it comes to reform of the not-for-profit sector. Along with many other jurisdictions with a common-law …