By Patrick Avenell
Harvey Norman chairman Gerry Harvey has today written an op/ed piece for the Daily Telegraph, responding to recent widespread stories that he is parsimonious with charities and derisive of the homeless.
Below are excerpts from this column, in which he claims he is as benevolent as ever, and that his original quotations were taken out of context.
“I’ve been criticised in recent weeks for saying that donating money to charities that help the homeless is wasted. Those comments were taken out of context, and they couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I’ve given away tens of millions of dollars over the years – probably to almost every charity in Australia.
“I was asked by the author of a book about what role I had in the broader community, and I said that if you give a million dollars to a charity to help homeless people, you could argue it was going to be wasted.
“What I think is that we should be helping people so they can reach an even greater potential.
“If we do that, those people can put a lot more value back into the community.
“But importantly, I still give money to homeless people – and all other charities.”
To read Harvey’s column in full, click here.
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