Over the weekend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his new ministry, with Senator the Hon Zed Seselja confirmed as the Assistant Minister for Finance, Charities and Electoral Matters. This position will include oversight of the ACNC.
I look forward to working closely with the Minister over the coming years.
Australian Charities Report 2017 now available
Last week we released the Australian Charities Report 2017, an annual publication from the ACNC which provides invaluable insight into Australia’s charity sector. The full report can be downloaded at acnc.gov.au/charitiesreport.
This year’s report has been streamlined to make it easier to read. While the report is shorter than previous versions, the full dataset is still available for those interested in delving deeper into our diverse charity sector.
The interactive data is available at acnc.gov.au/charitydata.
You can also download the data provided by charities in their 2017 Annual Information Statements from data.gov.au.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ACNC staff who have worked incredibly hard over the last six months to produce and publish this report.
They have done an exceptional job, and I am proud of the report we have produced.
ACNC Advisory Board meeting in Melbourne
It was great to have the ACNC Advisory Board in Melbourne last week for our quarterly meeting. We discussed a broad range of topics throughout the day, with a specific concentration on good governance and the issues facing the charitable sector.
I look forward to working with the Advisory Board and ACNC staff to provide the sector with new guidance resources, designed to assist charities in implementing ‘best practice’ governance.
New professional development initiative for charity leaders
During the ACNC Advisory Board meeting, David Knowles from Koda Capital presented to the board on its new initiative - Plus One.
Plus One offers professional development opportunities to charity leaders who would traditionally struggle to access, afford or justify the cost of professional development.
The pro bono professional development program is offered to charity leaders thanks to support from corporate partners.
If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, there is information available on the Plus One website.
One month left to submit your 2018 Annual Information Statement
The 2018 Annual Information Statement due date for charities that operate on a calendar year (from 1 January to 31 December) is now just one month away.
To submit the Annual Information Statement, charities will need to log into the new Charity Portal at charity.acnc.gov.au.
If you have not logged into the Charity Portal since October 2018, your username and password will have changed. Visit acnc.gov.au/charityportal for further instructions on how to log in.
More information about the 2018 Annual Information Statement, including a helpful checklist and guide, is available on the ACNC website at acnc.gov.au/2018AIS.
I encourage charities to submit their 2018 Annual Information Statement as soon as possible to beat the last-minute rush.
Share your charity's story
With more than 57,000 charities in Australia, there are thousands of fantastic stories about the impact charities have on their community. I enjoy meeting with charities to discuss their work – and would love to highlight further stories about the incredible work charities are undertaking across Australia.
Our ‘Getting to Know’ series, a collection of short interviews published on the ACNC’s website and social media channels, is a wonderful way to share the activities of your charity with a wider audience.
You can read the previous ‘Getting to Know’ features we have published at acnc.gov.au/gettingtoknow.
We are always looking for more charities to feature. If you would like to share your story with us, please email charitychat@acnc.gov.au.
Best wishes,
The Hon Dr Gary Johns