HOST 1:
Kelly O'Dwyer, the Federal Member for Higgins, and – actually Kelly you've got a lot of ministries I'm not sure I can rattle them all off. Which ones are they?
KELLY O'DWYER:
[Laughs] Do you want me to?
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
Which ones are they? Please do.
KELLY O'DWYER:
Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, and Minister for Women. So there you go, that's it.
TASS MOUSAFERIADIS:
Wow that's a busy portfolio.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
Well the last one's a good one, I'm not sure about assisting the Prime Minister for Public Service, and the others are going to make you very popular, but something you have done is going to make you very popular and it's making you very popular with us because I know you've done a huge amount of work behind the scenes, a lot of yards, to get Deductable Gift status for the Victorian Pride Centre. This was part of the Budget papers, so thank you.
KELLY O'DWYER:
Well thank you, I mean one of the great parts of my job is as a local member I get to meet with a lot of local people and I had the opportunity to meet with a number of the board directors of the Victorian Pride Centre very early on in the process, and as Minister for Revenue I have responsibility for specific listings which means if you don't fit in a category you can get Deductable Gift Recipient status which means you get a special tax deduction for a contribution you might make towards something then you need to be put into legislation very specifically. So we worked very hard together to make sure that they could present a really strong and compelling case for specific listing, and I'm really delighted that we were able to announce in the Budget that we had agreed to that and that that will be passed in legislation this year so that people can make contributions to the Vic Pride Centre which I think will be a really fantastic centre for the community.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
So what does that mean though, Kelly, If I make a $100 donation to the Victorian Pride Centre what does that actually mean, what difference does that make to me?
KELLY O'DWYER:
It means that you can tax deduct it so that if you earn a reasonable income or an average income you can deduct it against your income. Which is what a lot of people can do if they're making a donation to World Vision or a number of other charities or not-for-profits, they can make those contributions and get the benefit of the tax deduction for making that contribution.
TASS MOUSAFERIADIS:
That sounds great.
KELLY O'DWYER:
People who make a contribution to the Pride Centre will know that not only are they making a fantastic contribution to building a Centre that will be the most extraordinary legacy, but also that they will be able to benefit, which is always a nice thing, in terms of their tax.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
I had a meeting in Canberra during the week with a colleague of yours Dean Smith and he was full of praise for the work you've done on this and how important it will be for the Pride Centre.
KELLY O'DWYER:
Well I work very closely with Dean, and Dean of course would be known to your listeners as someone who put together obviously the fantastic bill that was passed in relation to same-sex marriage, of course I was a very strong supporter of that, and lead a lot of that work with him and others in the Coalition. And he has been a very strong supporter of DGR status for the Victorian Pride Centre and I think, you know, the great opportunity – and I met with Tass yesterday, and a number of other board members and directors – to hear specifically about the impact it will have for the community bringing together a number of the community groups which otherwise don't have a permanent home and that includes one of my favourites the gay and lesbian archives which I think is a really fantastic resource and that should be available to more and more people in the broader community, not just those people doing PhDs and other thing and it's going to have terrific exhibition spaces so that not only can those people in the community be involved but the broader community as well and I think that's part of breaking down barriers that we constantly need to do.
TASS MOUSAFERIADIS:
Kelly it was great to actually meet you yesterday outside the location of the Pride Centre to be, it's going to be a fantastic building and I do agree with you on that, can we as a community expect to see the Federal Government put its hand in its pocket and assist with the, not only just he construction, we want to complete the construction, but also the ongoing operations?
KELLY O'DWYER:
Well look we obviously evaluate any applications that are made from Budget to Budget and obviously the significant contribution we've been able to make this Budget is the DGR status that will mean that people can make significant contributions and make tax deductions for those, that is not at all insignificant, but look I can't guarantee anything but I would certainly say that it will be considered along with other very worthy applications when we look at Budgets and the various constraints that are in those Budgets.
TASS MOUSAFERIADIS:
So we could rely on you to champion a submission for us…
KELLY O'DWYER:
[Laughs] Well I'll want to understand what exactly you're asking for and how much money but certainly it's fair to say my record is very strong on this and I'd be delighted to sit down and discuss it in more detail with people.
TASS MOUSAFERIADIS:
Wonderful.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
I tell you what Kelly, I've got a deal for you, I'll, all the tax I pay I would happily make as a donation to the Pride Centre, but just imagine how much more in 2024, because I could donate more and pay even more less tax.
KELLY O'DWYER:
[Laughs] That's right it's a pretty good deal, we will be reducing your tax bill.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
Now look I know you need to go, but really quickly you've made a donation, you've put some money up for a cause that' very dear to your heart around female representation, give us a really quick snapshot of that, because I think when you put your money where your mouth is, that means a lot.
KELLY O'DWYER:
Yeah, so, just very briefly, I think I do a significant amount of fundraising for campaigns and I'm making a $50,000 contribution as a result of that fundraising activity towards the Dame Enid Lyons Fighting Fund, she of course was the first, in effect, Liberal member elected to the House of Representatives, the first woman elected to the House of Representatives, and the reason I've put together this fund is because I think it's very important that women in particular have the financial firepower to be able to fight strong and effective campaigns, not only to be able to win their seats, but to win seats. Obviously this is for my side of politics, and there are plenty of people on the other side of politics, but I do feel it's very important that we not only support moral support for people who are doing that, but actual financial support which is why I've helped set it up.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
Good on you, now all it needs is DGR status Kelly.
KELLY O'DWYER:
[Laughs] well I'm obviously not going to get conflicted by any of that but right now it's actually covered under the status of a political party as the account is held by the Liberal Party and there is some sort of small tax concession there as would apply to any other political party but it's not a standalone organisation yet, but once it's big it's something we can consider into the future!
TASS MOUSAFERIADIS:
Well we look forward to seeing greater gender balance in Parliament.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
Yes, thank you for the work that you've done behind the scenes on getting this for the Pride Centre, it's a big thing, thank you and please, Kelly, we'd love to have you again real soon.
KELLY O'DWYER:
I'm always happy to chat – you could probably hear a bit of chatter in the background and that's my daughter Olivia who's currently at the park with me right now.
TASS MOUSAFERIADIS:
Bring her with you! We'd love to have her in the studio, we love having families in the studio.
KELLY O'DWYER:
OK terrific.
DAVID 'MACCA' MCARTHY:
Thanks so much Kelly and appreciate your work in this area.
KELLY O'DWYER:
Thanks Macca, thanks Tass.