Crowdfunding Ramps Up Down Under

MELBOURNE, Australia - Dec. 2, 2013 - PRLog -- The crowdfunding phenom is wrapping its game-changing reach around the globe — and Australia is very much caught up in its embrace.
Spurred on by the regulatory developments taking place in the States of late, the Aussies are currently reviewing their own legislation as it relates to crowdfunding.

In October, the government’s Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee (CAMAC) published a discussion paper that encouraged startups and SMBs to revise their opinion on the subject from something that’s more of a donation to an entirely viable form of fundraising. And if CAMAC allows Australian investors to be given equity positions in projects funded there,  as it’s considering, the landscape will be rewritten decisively.

Not surprisingly, the Australian presence occupies an increasing amount of the bandwidth of FundRazr (https://fundrazr.com/), which currently plays host to a number of crowdfunding initiatives springing from that country.

Take the Crilley Crew in Melbourne, for one, seeking support for those members of their family who lost their home to Typhoon Haiyan (https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/4diT9).

And there’s the Matt Scarff fundraiser (https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/be318), which solicits financial assistance to cover the costs associated with his treatment for a recent head trauma.

Lots of the Aussie campaigns are health-care-related, with family and mates pursuing monetary help for the medical expenses of unexpected tragedies. In contrast to the Canadian healthcare scene, where the private-clinic sector is small and typically held back by governmental regulation, Australia has an active private health sector.