The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) has entered into a voluntary compliance agreement with the national charity regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), to address concerns relating to board governance and culture.
An ACNC investigation identified concerns that the RACP was not adequately meeting its requirements under the Governance Standards, specifically relating to accountability and transparency to members, and the duties of Responsible Persons.
ACNC Commissioner, the Hon Dr Gary Johns, said a voluntary compliance agreement is appropriate if a charity has cooperated with an investigation and made obvious attempts to comply with its obligations.
“The RACP has fully cooperated with our investigation. The compliance agreement is evidence of the charity’s commitment to working with the ACNC, and addressing the governance issues identified,” Dr Johns said.
As part of compliance agreement, the RACP has agreed to engage a governance professional to review the charity’s board governance and culture, make recommendations for change, and then oversee the implementation of those recommendations.
“RACP has appointed and will work with a governance professional to meet the requirements of the compliance agreement,” Dr Johns said.
The RACP has acknowledged that failure to comply with the compliance agreement may result in further ACNC enforcement action.
ACNC Media Contact:
Email media@acnc.gov.au or phone 0466 089 108
RACP Media Contact:
Email CEO@racp.edu.au or phone 0427 489 841
More information:
ACNC compliance decisions – acnc.gov.au/compliancedecisions
ACNC Governance Standards – acnc.gov.au/governancestandards