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Family First has urged the Senate to block special tax-deductible status for Equality Australia, arguing the move politicises charity law and sidelines independent regulatory decisions.

Family First is opposing a Treasury move that will gift activist group Equality Australia (EA) increased charity status.

The inclusion of EA in the omnibus bill is designed to make financial contributions to the LGBTQI+ platform tax-deductible.

Party boss Lyle Shelton said Family First’s request to stop EA from receiving the special status is reasonable.

Family First’s formal opposition, he explained, “is not about denying Equality Australia the right to advocate its views.”

Their opposition is “about preserving the integrity of Australia’s charitable and tax framework.”

“This Isn’t Charity. It’s Politics.”

In a 19 February submission to the Australian Senate Economics Legislation Committee, Shelton argued,

“Equality Australia is undeniably a politically active advocacy organisation engaged in highly contested cultural and legal debates.

“It is therefore inappropriate for such an organisation — having been found by multiple institutions to be primarily advocacy-based — to receive special tax treatment through legislative exception.”

“The issue before the Committee,” Shelton added, “is not whether Equality Australia may advocate its position.

“The issue is whether Parliament should grant special, legislated Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status — after the regulator and court rejected that status.”

Especially given Equality Australia’s political activism.

For instance, EA “campaigns for expanded access to puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors at a time when these practices are being restricted, reassessed or legally challenged overseas.”

“Taxpayers,” Shelton said, “should not be compelled to subsidise such advocacy through special legislative privilege.”

Governor-General’s Patronage Questioned

In addition, Family First pointed to concerns about Samantha Mostyn’s role with EA.

Mostyn is Australia’s current 709,000-dollar Governor-General, and is also one of Equality Australia’s patrons.

This is a role she has repeatedly refused to resign from, even after critics pointed out that EA’s LGBTrans activism conflicted with the non-partisan provisions governing the highest office in the land.

That conflict is demonstrated by Equality Australia’s “biology is bigotry” involvement in trans-warfare on female-only spaces.

Alongside allegedly pushing for the trans-mutilation of minors, EA has “intervened in litigation involving the women-only ‘Giggle‘ platform,” Shelton said.

Mostyn’s role as Governor-General is at odds with her patronage of an organisation whose ideology “undermines the rights and protections of biological women and girls.”

“You cannot claim to champion women while supporting an organisation that erases the very definition of what a woman is,” Shelton argued.

Integrity of the Tax System at Stake

Further making their case, Family First reminded legislators that EA’s “bid for tax-deductible (DGR) status was rejected by regulators and upheld through tribunal and court processes.”

EA was only added to the omnibus bill after the activist organisation approached the Albanese Government.

Disregarding the ruling of regulators, Labor decided to bypass the outcome of that process and “introduce special legislation which will grant EA that status anyway.”

This creates, Shelton remarked, “the appearance that independent processes have been overridden.”

“The existence of such an arrangement while simultaneously seeking legislative intervention raises serious integrity concerns,” he said.

“The DGR framework exists to ensure neutrality and consistency.”

“Legislative carve-outs for individual advocacy bodies risk politicising that framework.”

Adding to his public comments about the matter, Shelton wrote on X,

“This isn’t charity. It’s politics.”

“Tax-deductible status is a public subsidy. It means it costs the Australian taxpayer,” he asserted.

“At a time when countries like the UK are shutting down child gender clinics and reassessing these controversial treatments, why should Australian taxpayers be forced to subsidise an organisation advocating medicalised gender transition for minors?

“Some organisations,” Shelton resolved, “should not be ‘more equal’ than others.

“The integrity of our tax system — and the protection of children — is at stake.”