Camp Gallipoli stripped of charity status after extravagant Anzac program
More than 40,000 people flocked to Camp Gallipoli last year, paying up to $120 to camp under the stars, all in the name of charity – or so they thought.
Run by ex-bankrupt businessman Chris Fox, Camp Gallipoli’s legacy came crashing down earlier this year when Fairfax Media revealed the Returned Servicemen's League was still waiting on their promised donations.
It is thought millions of dollars were raised through ticket sales and branded merchandise, but one year after Camp Gallipoli pledged all surplus funds to war veterans and their families, that money is no where to be seen.
“We just didn't have the surplus we thought we'd get," Mr Fox said in justification for the poor financial showing.
Breaking etiquette, the Department of Veterans Affairs allowed Camp Gallipoli to use the Commonwealth protected word “Anzac” during their promotions, even chipping in a $2.5 million grant on top of the $5 million from corporate Australia, for what they believed to be a good cause.
Fast forward to December 2016 and the foundation has now been stripped of its charitable status following an investigation at the hands of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission.
What was intially supposed to be a "small community-based commemorative events with a focus on education" in Australia's eight capital cities, quickly became a "grandiose" program featuring large concerts and significant commercial elements.
However Mr Fox adamantly denied any wrongdoing or blowing out of the allocated budget.
"We're just, as good Australians, trying to do something good for the bloody nation, pal," he told Fairfax..
Already on a $150,000 annual salary as the Camp Gallipoli CEO, Fairfax reported that Mr Fox attempted to profit from his position by paying commercial companies “management fees” that he had stakes in.
Far from an admission of guilt, Mr Fox took aim at the claims made by veterans groups and journalists by talking up the educational experience the camp provided.
"RSL revenues come from things like poker machines and other things, so because we are dealing with kids we wanted to distance ourselves from all of that," Mr Fox said.
"We're not here to give the RSL and Legacy a cash bonus. If we were doing that, we would be providing a lesser of a product to the kids in the communities we're trying to engage with."
The company took a similar approach, denying any wrongdoing on social media and in a written statement.
"100% of all surplus funds raised through our events and other activations are distributed to charities which support veterans and their families,” Camp Gallipoli responded to scathing questions on Facebook.
The ACNC reputed Camp Gallipoli's defence and despite a normally reserved approach to these situations, they publicly stripped the beseiged company of their charity status.
