The Weekly Times discovered last Wednesday that all detail of the Australian Dairy Farmers Limited’s financials — past and present — had been removed from the Australian Charities register.
Yet late last year The Weekly Times was able to access ADF’s 2015 financials on the register to show the farmer lobby group had received twice as much money from milk processors as it did from farmers.
The article prompted farmers to question if ADF was representing them or processors.
But last week, when The Weekly Times tried to access ADF’s 2016 financials, the register showed they were no longer listed.
An Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission spokesman said ADF had requested its financials be withdrawn from the register.
Under the ACNC Act a charity could request this if the information was commercially sensitive, inaccurate or misleading, likely to offend, or could endanger public safety, he said.
On Wednesday The Weekly Times asked ADF why it was withholding its financials and whether it supported financial transparency in the industry.
By week’s end, the commission had issued a statement saying it had refused ADF’s request to withhold information.
ADF also responded by stating its financials would soon be back on the register.
In the 2016 financials ADF has now removed all details on how much it receives from processors, dairy farmer groups and industry or government grants from its annual report.
It refused a request from The Weekly Times for an interview with chief executive David Inall about its financials.
Source: The Weekly Times
Link: http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/australian-dairy-farmers-limiteds-finance-secrets/news-story/8dda449f26b7ff1602b7e50bada33d1e
