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Reform of Charity Law in Hong Kong and Australia: What Lessons Can Be Learned from the United Kingdom?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2015

John Kong Shan Ho  and
Rohan Bruce Edward Price
John Kong Shan Ho
Affiliation:
School of Law, City University of Hong Kong
Rohan Bruce Edward Price
Affiliation:
Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania
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Abstract

Since 2001, a number of common law jurisdictions have initiated reforms to their charity law and the United Kingdom has taken the lead. This article examines what Hong Kong and Australia can learn from the United Kingdom in reforming their own outdated and fragmented charity laws. It is contended that the lessons and experiences of the United Kingdom provide good insights for Hong Kong and Australia as each jurisdiction anticipates implementing a broadly similar regime to the United Kingdom's to modernize regulation of their charity sectors. This article contends that there is no need to make a choice between retaining judicial decision-making over charities (inconsistent as it is) and establishing a type of charity commission which makes determining charitable status akin to a decision of a government department. Instead, Hong Kong and Australia can have charity commissions with missions that are sensitive to their own legal terrains but which are subject to judicial review.

Keywords

charity lawUnited KingdomHong KongAustralia
Type
Research Article
Information
Asian Journal of Comparative Law , Volume 6 , 2011 , pp. 1 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore 2011

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