GVEG's president calls for petitions to protect environment groups

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 plea for people to have their say about tax-deductible donations to environment groups has comes from the Goulburn Valley Environment Group president, John Pettigrew.

GVEG president, John Pettigrew,
calling petition action.

“We unfortunately must briefly pause from protecting the environment to protect our organisations,” he said.

“Please assist with a submission by the 21st of May even if it’s only one sentence of support for the current DGR facility remaining available to environment groups, he wrote on a release.  

The House of Representatives Environment Committee is holding an inquiry into environmental groups who are eligible to receive Tax-deductible donations.

Mr Pettigrew said, “Most of our best known National and International Environment Groups fall into this category and of course includes our Goulburn Valley Environment Group (GVEG).                                                                                                         

“Being a registered Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) allows an organization to access tax-deductible donations to fund important, practical work to protect and improve the natural environment.

“This work inevitably involves advocacy and at times opposition to ill-conceived development and it is predominately this area that has attracted the ire of neo-conservative politics, namely the Abbott government,” the GVEG president said.   He said the Government has the support of mining, energy and petroleum industries that have been consistently attacking environment groups and their supporter base. 

The Committee composed of six Coalition and four Australian Labor Party Members of Parliament and, according to Mr Pettigrew, is already showing all the signs of a witch-hunt.

“Environment groups, including GVEG ask the community for support in defending our organisations from this attack,”

He said submissions, as many as possible, needed to be made by the May 21 indicating support for continuation of this facility which, he added, are, after all, only the equivalent of tax deductible member’s subscriptions and donations to mining, and other industry advocacy organisations.

Submissions should be made to: House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment, PO Box 6021 Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600, or via the government website , or you can phone: +61 2 6277 4580; fax: +61 2 6277 4424; and contact via email at:  environment.reps@aph.gov.au.

People with more questions can contact Mr Pettigrew at: PO Box 207, Shepparton Vic 3632; phone: ph/fax: 03 58 317794; or e-mail: gveg@shepparton.net.au.