This article was written by Fr Brian Lucas and first appeared in the The Sydney Morning Herald on 10 September 2014

Regulators, like death and taxes, are always with us. Good law advances the common good by balancing the benefits of regulation with the extra paperwork.

On Monday at the National Press Club the CEO of World Vision Australia, Reverend Tim Costello, said that one church denominationopposed the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, because it didn’t “want a secular, atheistic regulator in charge”. On Tuesday Fairfax Media said he was referring to the Catholic Church and I completely reject that claim.

The Catholic Church has always taken a pragmatic approach to government regulation. Our concern has always been about the value and extent of the regulatory red tape, rather than the identity of the regulator. Continue reading →