The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has today announced the revocation of two charities, the Australian Foundation for Disabled Children and Youths Ltd and Pockets Australia Pty Limited.
The ACNC Commissioner, the Hon Dr Gary Johns, confirmed that both organisations have had their registrations revoked following separate investigations into their activities and operations.
“The revocation of charity status is the strongest enforcement power the ACNC can take against a charity,” Dr Johns said.
“This is reserved for the most serious cases of misconduct or mismanagement.
“Following investigations into these charities, the ACNC had no alternative but to revoke charity status. These organisations will now lose their entitlement to generous Commonwealth charity tax concessions.”
All registered charities must report annually, and meet the ACNC Governance Standards, a set of minimum standards that require charities to operate lawfully and be run in a responsible manner.
Dr Johns said the ACNC has an education-first approach, aiming to help charities get back on track.
“Wherever possible, we want to work with charities to ensure they have the procedures and principles in place to guarantee their charity is well-run,” Dr Johns said.
“However, where charities fail to display a commitment to their governance, transparency or accountability, we will take the appropriate regulatory action.”
Dr Johns said the ACNC will continue to prioritise ensuring that only those charities that are meeting their obligations remain registered.
“So far in 2017-18, the ACNC has revoked the charity status of 21 organisations, and more are likely to follow in the next month,” Dr Johns said.
“Many of these investigations were borne out of concerns raised by members of the public.
“We encourage members of the public to raise their concerns by calling 13 ACNC, or visiting acnc.gov.au.”
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More information
Both the Australian Foundation for Disabled Children and Youths Ltd and Pockets Australia Pty Limited have 60 days to object to the ACNC’s revocation decision.
The ACNC is prevented from disclosing further details about the cases, due to secrecy provisions in the ACNC Act.
Australian Foundation for Disabled Children and Youths Ltd
The Australian Foundation for Disabled Children and Youths is based in South Australia, and was formed in November 2016.
The organisation’s charity status was revoked on 16 May 2018, stripping it of entitlement to Commonwealth charity tax concessions.
According to the Australian Business Register (ABR), the organisation had been registered as a public benevolent institution, with Deductible Gift Recipient status. It was also entitled to GST concessions, and income tax and FBT exemptions.
Pockets Australia Pty Limited
Pockets Australia is based in New South Wales, and was formed in September 2014.
The organisation’s charity status was revoked on 24 May 2018, stripping it of entitlement to Commonwealth charity tax concessions.
According to the ABR, the organisation was entitled to GST concessions, and income tax exemption.
See also:
- Australian Foundation for Disabled Children and Youths Ltd’s listing on the ACNC Charity Register.
- Pockets Australia Pty Limited’s listing on the ACNC Charity Register.
- All other ACNC charity compliance decisions
ACNC Media Contact:
media@acnc.gov.au or 0466 089 108.