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Australia scrutinizes influence of nongovernmental groups: The government has hired a conservative think tank to evaluate NGOs' growing clout. (Janaki Kremmer, 9/05/03, The Christian Science Monitor)

Spurred by conservative rumblings over the growing clout of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the Australian government is taking a closer look at such groups' activities at home and abroad.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister John Howard offered to investigate all aid agencies working in Indonesia using Australian government funding, following complaints by President Megawati Sukarnoputri. And in a move that critics see as politically motivated, his government has hired a conservative think tank to investigate NGO influence on some government agencies.

The investigation by the Melbourne-based Institute of Public Affairs could potentially cut off some charities from further government access, funding, or tax breaks, experts say.

"NGOs are becoming very influential today - they sit on various committees and are seen to influence governments and big business. As global players they need to be more transparent," says Mike Nahan, executive director of the IPA.

IPA is not the only group scrutinizing NGOs. In June, IPA joined with two organizations in the United States - the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), known to be close to the Bush administration, and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies - to launch www.NGOWatch.org. The site will monitor the operations of international NGOs and their relations with corporations and government.

There's no readily apparent reason why they shouldn't be treated like every other self-interested lobby group.

MORE:
-Criminal complaint filed against NGO (Japan Times, 9/05/03)

The Foreign Ministry filed a criminal complaint Thursday against a nongovernmental organization helping China with reforestation and a former president of the group for alleged fraud, sources said.

Posted by orrinj at September 4, 2003 7:39 PM