Visiting regional areas helps us, as the national regulator of charities, understand the impact of local operating conditions.
We know it is different working in regional and remote locations, and by going to Alice Springs and Darwin, I was able to see first-hand the experiences of local charities; to gather their insights into the successes and challenges of working in the Northern Territory.
As well as speaking at a major education-related conference and on local radio, we held free ACNC forums to help raise awareness about what charities need to do to register and stay registered, and to answer questions. To help people understand who does what and get more questions answered in the one place, we were grateful to have colleagues from the ATO, ORIC (Office of the Registrar for Indigenous Corporations), NT Consumer Affairs, and ASIC. Both forums (held in Alice Spring and Darwin) were full, with around 110 attendees. Plenty of knowledge in the room and lots of Q and A, with all these conversations helping us improve how we regulate and support the sector.
By searching our register, we know about 1,100 charities operate in the NT, many focused on critical areas like health, employment, education, housing, and the arts. Most are volunteer run, and I was privileged to attend Volunteer of the Year awards events in Alice Springs and Darwin.
Charities in the NT told us they face a range of challenges: finding and keeping skilled staff, operating across vast distances, and dealing with natural disasters like floods that can cut off entire communities. And add in language and literacy barriers, patchy internet access and overlapping regulatory systems.
Despite these challenges, the spirit and determination of NT charities was clear. You may have seen on social media that I met with some organisations doing remarkable work in their local communities. Purple House delivers dialysis services to remote communities, Ironbark supporting community employment and economic services throughout the Darwin-Daly Region, the NT Working Women’s Centre supporting women in workplaces across the Territory, and ANKA (Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists) - a peak support and advocacy body for Aboriginal artists and Aboriginal owned community art centres.
I also met with Amanda Nobbs-Carcuro whose role includes overseeing NT associations; she was appointed as an ex-officio member of the ACNC Advisory Board in February and I look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration on cross jurisdictional issues.
Australian Charities Report - 11th edition
Our 11th edition of the Australian Charities Report is hot off the press. Some of the key findings that might interest, or even surprise you:
- The charity sector has grown on all key measures: revenue has topped $222 billion (10.7% increase), 1.5 million people are employed in the sector which is more than for the construction and manufacturing industries (based on ABS data), and volunteer numbers have climbed to almost 3.8 million (getting closer to the previous high of 2018)
- While there has been a rebound in the growth of revenue overall, income from donations and bequests have not experienced much growth (0.4%) if you exclude the $4.9 billion donation to the Minderoo Foundation (the largest gift ever reported to us)
- Expenses have grown as well, with an 8.4% increase, so back to more normal levels than last year where growth in expenses significantly outstripped revenue.
- Sector growth is consistent with greater demand for charity services
But what about your charity’s particular experience?
As our full report highlights in many places (and our media release emphasises), size makes a difference, with smaller charities not faring as well when it comes to revenue, donations, income from government and paid staff. And of course, we know that the growth in revenue and employment is there for a purpose— to meet demand. From many of your reports, it is clear that demand more services is continuing to grow and often can’t be met.
Our data confirms the charity sector should not, and cannot, be ignored or underestimated. It is a powerhouse of good, bringing benefits to many people, and is an active economic contributor and driver.
So, with this trip still in my mind and knowing the economic significance of this sector, I remain committed to helping ensure the ACNC’s regulatory approach is clear, fair, and supportive—wherever a charity is based and whatever its size.
Warm regards,
Sue Woodward AM