RSLWA — REMEMBRANCE DAY POPPY STREET APPEAL
947. Hon TJORN SIBMA to the minister representing the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to regulations under the minister's
commerce portfolio that restrict the RSLWA's Poppy Street Appeal, a fundraising
effort to support veterans and their families, to only one day of sales, which
in the lead-up to Remembrance Day today,
occurred last Friday, 5 November. Might the minister consider relaxing these
regulations so that in future years, the RSLWA's street appeal
might be permitted to occur over additional days, up to and including
Remembrance Day?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the
question. The following information has been provided by the Minister for
Commerce.
The RSLWA chose to conduct its
Remembrance Day Poppy Street Appeal on Friday, 5 November 2021. The RSLWA
advised the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety's
Consumer Protection division that it did not wish to conduct the appeal on
Thursday, 11 November 2021, because it is preferred that staff and members be
able to attend the Kings Park Remembrance Day ceremony.
The
Street Collections (Regulation) Act 1940, which applies to collections such as
the Remembrance Day Poppy Street Appeal,
limits the number of days on which street appeals may be conducted to 50 per
calendar year. Although there is a general policy to limit specific collections
to once a year, the act does not impose such a limit and each request is assessed on its merits. The RSLWA historically has
received a permit to conduct two appeals a year, for Anzac Day and Remembrance
Day. Consumer Protection has advised that had the RSLWA applied for an
additional permit to conduct the
appeal on 11 November, it would have been granted. There does not appear to be
a need to amend the act.