Your power to protect
You have the power to help shape the future of Australia’s natural places – a future where our quintessential bush landscapes and habitats for our extraordinary wildlife remain intact.
A gift in your Will, no matter the amount, can make a real difference to the threatened and vulnerable species protected within our reserves and partnership regions.
Naturally you'll want to look after your loved ones first. By including a gift to Bush Heritage you're giving them something extra – the gift of a protected natural world in which they can find joy, peace and wonder.
Your will is important
Everyone should have a Will.
Colonies of Mareeba Rock Wallabies have found safe refuge in the rocky outcrops our Yourka Reserve in Queensland.
Photo: Wayne Lawler / EcoPix.
A Will gives you the power to choose how your assets can benefit your loved ones and the world you leave behind. Bequests aren't just for the wealthy. Every gift helps protect our wild places forever.
Making a Will need not be complicated or expensive, but you should seek the advice of a legal practitioner to clearly set out the way you intend your estate to be distributed.
It’s also important to review your Will every few years to make sure it still reflects your wishes, especially after a change in your circumstances, such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or the sale of property.
You can choose how to leave your gift
You can leave your entire estate or any part of your estate to Bush Heritage.
A residual gift to Bush Heritage is a direction to your Executor that, once all specific gifts are distributed to the beneficiaries named in your Will and your debts are paid, the remainder (or a proportion of the remainder) of your estate will be paid to Bush Heritage.
A residual bequest is a simple way to leave a gift that needn't interfere with any other specific bequests left to loved ones. This type of bequest retains its value over time (unlike a specific cash gift that can reduce in value with inflation).
You can leave any identifiable property as a bequest to Bush Heritage in your Will. A specific gift may include any sum of money, cash balances in a bank account, a residential house, commercial real estate or company shares.
A common issue when determining a gift of a specific cash amount is; ‘How can I decide on a figure when I do not know how much will be left in my estate when the time comes?’ Making your gift a percentage of your estate, or of the residual of your estate, means no matter the value of your final estate, the proportion you intended for Bush Heritage will remain the same.
If you're considering leaving real estate or shares to Bush Heritage, you may wish to consider leaving the gift in specie. This means the gift may be transferred directly to Bush Heritage and may save your estate paying capital gains tax on the sale of the asset. We recommend you seek appropriate legal and/or financial advice prior to making your Will to determine the suitability of an in specie gift.
Sometimes a supporter intends to gift a property to Bush Heritage but also wishes to allow a family member or friend to live in that home for a period of time. Once that time has passed, the property will be sold and the proceeds paid to Bush Heritage. This is called a life interest.
A life interest may mean Bush Heritage doesn't receive your gift until many years into the future and, in some cases, the gift may never be received at all.
It's important to seek professional legal advice in drafting a life interest gift to ensure your intentions are clearly set out in your Will.
“It’s empowering and makes me feel good to think I'm able to help save landscapes and species that are threatened or facing extinction. I like being part of an organisation that's actually doing something about it. My life is enhanced by what my gift can achieve.”
– Louise Cahill, supporter for 16 years.
Suggested wording
Once you've decided on the type of bequest you'd like to make, ask your solicitor to draft the appropriate clause. The following wording is a guide only and is subject to your solicitor’s professional legal advice in the preparation of your Will:
“I give:
(a) the residue (or percentage) of the residue of my estate; or
(b) the sum of $(amount); or (specified items)
to BUSH HERITAGE AUSTRALIA (ABN 78 053 639 115) to be held upon Trust and to be applied towards conservation purposes in accordance with the Constitutional objectives of BUSH HERITAGE AUSTRALIA in its absolute discretion to determine.”
A bequest that supports our conservation work in general provides us with the greatest flexibility to respond to critical priorities in the future; however if you have a particular purpose in mind please contact us to discuss your wishes.
Please let us know
If you've included Bush Heritage in your Will or are considering it, please let us know so we can thank you properly. It also gives us a chance to welcome you to the Bush Legacy Circle – our growing group of bequest supporters.
Contact 1300 628 873 or email bequests@bushheritage.org.au.