Almost 400 charities that failed to submit two or more Annual Information Statements have lost registration.
ACNC Assistant Commissioner General Counsel Anna Longley said many of the 396 organisations that have had their registration revoked are likely to have stopped operating.
“We regularly undertake work to ensure the integrity of the Charity Register. It is our role as the regulator to protect and enhance public trust and confidence in the sector through increased accountability and transparency. We need to ensure the Register is accurate and up to date,” Ms Longley said.
“Information that we publish on the Register is largely provided by charities in their Annual Information Statement, so timely AIS submission is very important. If a charity has ceased operating or is not meeting its reporting obligations, it loses ACNC registration and eligibility for certain Commonwealth tax concessions that are only available to registered charities. “
In April, the ACNC notified almost 750 organisations that they risked revocation. “Those organisations that are still operating have been provided every opportunity to retain registration. Over the past few weeks, many have submitted their overdue Annual Information Statements and so they continue to be registered.”
There are around 60,000 charities on the Charity Register, and it is viewed millions of times each year.
“The community is becoming increasingly aware that they can check the Register before they donate to a charity, or for a range of other reasons,” Ms Longley said.