Registered charities in Australia must report annually to the ACNC. This reporting sees charities complete and submit an Annual Information Statement and, in the case of medium and large charities, an annual financial report. Here we analyse charities’ reporting during the 2019 reporting period.
The ACNC’s Secrecy Reform Project will see us publish further information about our regulatory activities within the sector. The ACNC has received funding for this work through the 2023-24 Federal Budget.
As part of this project, the ACNC will publish information relating to our regulatory and compliance activities. Doing so provides the public with greater insight into our activities, as well as improving transparency and providing clear educational benefits to the charity sector.
Charities must be for the public benefit, meaning they must benefit the general community or a section of the general community. A charity may only confer private benefits if those benefits are incidental or ancillary to achieving its charitable purpose. An organisation that exists solely for private benefit cannot be a charity.
The issue of possible private benefits can also raise concerns in relation to conflicts of interest. ACNC Governance Standard 5 requires charities to take reasonable steps to ensure their Responsible People comply with a range of duties – these include acting honestly and in the best interests of the charity, and disclosing conflicts of interest.
There have been changes to the administration of not-for-profit organisations that self-assess as income tax exempt. Not-for-profits that have charitable purposes cannot self-assess as income tax exempt. Charitable organisations may need to register as a charity with the ACNC and be endorsed by the ATO as income tax exempt. This webinar outlines the changes, and who is eligible to apply for charity registration.
The ACNC is governed by strict secrecy provisions. We cannot disclose ‘protected ACNC information’ to anyone other than the person, charity, or entity that the information is about, unless one of the limited exceptions in the ACNC Act applies.
See ACNC media releases and news items, and the latest Commissioner’s Column.
The media guide provides journalists with an overview of the ACNC’s role as the national regulator of charities, explains what information we can provide to the media and the public, and answers some frequently asked questions.
A corporate partnership is where a charity forms a relationship with a business.
An Authorised Person is someone who holds a position in a charity that gives them authority to declare and sign documents for the charity.
An organisation must have an ABN to be registered as a charity with the ACNC.
