Govt denies welfare gagging claims

The federal government has dismissed claims it is considering reintroducing measures to gag the community sector as part of funding contracts.

Welfare groups say the withdrawal of funding for the Refugee Council of Australia and community legal centres are just two "disturbing" examples of how civil groups are being obstructed from helping shape public policy.

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) chief executive Cassandra Goldie said it was a core role of government to financially support civil groups.

Withdrawing money would stop them from speaking freely about social problems, she said.

"This is about good government. It's about democracy," Dr Goldie told ABC TV on Thursday.

ACOSS is among a number of organisations yet to hear about its future funding arrangements, with its government contract set to expire on December 31.

Dr Goldie has welcomed assurances by Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews that the government would not reintroduce gag clauses in Commonwealth contracts with the not-for-profit sector.

The controversial measure, introduced by the Howard government and later banned under Labor, restricted the sector from engaging in policy and political debate if they received government funding.

A spokeswoman for Mr Andrews ruled out the measure and said the government was committed to supporting civil groups.

"Our approach ... is to trust the organisations of civil society to govern their own affairs without constant government oversight," the spokeswoman told AAP.

"We want people to have the capacity to do more for themselves because that is the way stronger communities are built."