The head of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission the Hon Dr Gary Johns has announced he will step down from the role at the end of July.
Dr Johns said it has been a great privilege to serve as Commissioner, supporting charities to undertake their extraordinary work in communities across Australia.
“I am proud to have led the Commission at a time when transparency and accountability in the sector, critical to maintain public support for charities, has been more important than ever,” Dr Johns said.
“During my term as Commissioner, the nation’s 60,000 registered charities have had many challenges and have risen to overcome them —bushfires, floods and a global pandemic, lockdowns that significantly disrupted their standard operations and increased demand for their programs.
“Since its inception in 2012, the ACNC has become one of the world’s leading digital-first charity regulators. We set a goal of providing the highest quality information for the greatest number of people on our key instrument, the Charity Register. We have decentralised decisions by placing good digital information in the hands of the donors, charities and the wider public. This has helped us become a more effective regulator, and a more efficient regulator.
“I am especially proud of our major achievements — bolstering the integrity of the Charity Register and transforming its data and search features, and developing a new program to strengthen good governance through free online courses for those who run and lead charities, set to be launched soon. I would like to acknowledge the dedication of the Commission’s leadership team and staff in realising our goals and commitments.
“As my term draws to a close and I pursue new opportunities, I know the Australian charity sector is robust and vibrant, and is in a strong position to take on any new challenges that may lie ahead.