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The Charitable Purpose

ACNC monthly e-newsletter

October 2023

Commissioner's Column

Important reform is being proposed to the ACNC Act aimed at providing greater transparency about ACNC investigations, both proposed and ongoing.

Why you ask? Because this change would mean that, for example, where there are very serious allegations about a charity widely reported in the media, I would as ACNC Commissioner have some ability to assure the public that we are looking into the matter.

Read the full Commissioner's Column [[link removed]]

Charity news and updates Guidance and resources for charities

Free template for related party transactions register

New questions in the recently launched 2023 Annual Information Statement (AIS), will require your charity to report related party transactions. To help your charity meet these new record keeping requirements - we've developed a free downloadable related party register template.

Download the template [[link removed]]

Induction for new charity board members

Are you expecting new members to join your charity board at your AGM? If so, our free online learning courses could be used to help induct your new charity board members. Our online learning program is designed to support leadership and accountability in the charity sector.

Free Online Courses [[link removed]]

2023 Annual Information Statement

Charities that operate on a standard financial year (1 July to 30 June) must submit their 2023 Annual Information Statement prior to the 31 January.

Remember that there will be new questions requiring you to report your charity's dealings with related parties. You can learn more about the new questions, and what you need to know before completing your charity's AIS on the AIS Hub Page [[link removed]].

Get in early, beat the rush and submit via the Portal now.

Submit via the Charity Portal now [[link removed]]

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[[link removed]] Answering your questions

A few of the most common questions we have been hearing from charities recently...

Q. What is my charity allowed to say in relation to the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament?

A. Your charity can make a valuable contribution to conversations taking place about the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

If your charity plans to undertake advocacy activities, it must be able to demonstrate why it considers its advocacy furthers its charitable purposes.

Your charity may just want to make a statement of support for the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ case. An example would be a message of support in email signature blocks. This would not jeopardise registration with the ACNC. Read more in this guidance [[link removed]], and in this podcast [[link removed]] our Commissioner, Sue Woodward AM discusses this topic in more detail.

Q: Are there rules about the way my charity has to report any referendum expenditure?

A: If your charity is spending $15,200 or more on referendum campaigning or donations to organisations involved with the referendum, then you must make a financial disclosure to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

Any eligible expenditure that occurs between 11 March to 14 October 2023 must be reported.

The AEC requirements have no effect on what your charity is required to submit to the ACNC.

Disclosures must be made to the AEC by 29 January 2024. Refer to the AEC advice for more guidance [[link removed]].

Q: Do we need to send the ACNC minutes of our Annual General Meeting?

A: No. While it is important to record and retain minutes of your charity’s meetings – including both regular meetings and AGMs – charities do not need to provide them to the ACNC for the purposes of updating details.

You can read more about keeping charity records [[link removed]] on our website.

Q: How can I find a record of my charity’s previously submitted Annual Information Statements?

A: If you are logged into the Charity Portal, you will be able to download a copy of past Annual Information Statements from the Portal’s ‘Manage reporting’ section, after scrolling down on the page.

Alternatively, you can search the public Charity Register [[link removed]]. Go to acnc.gov.au/charity, and ‘Search by charity’. Here you can enter your charity’s ABN and select it as the result.

The ‘Financials & Documents’ tab will list your charity’s past Annual Information Statements and financial reports.

We register hundreds of new charities every month. You can view the list of newly registered charities by clicking on the button below.

View the list [[link removed]]

Welcome to the charities registered with the ACNC in September 2023.

To remain eligible for registration, charities must meet ongoing obligations [[link removed]].

Each time a Responsible Person (a committee or board member or trustee) commences or resigns from their position, you must notify us. Learn more about notifying the ACNC [[link removed]].

Holding an annual general meeting is a good way to be accountable to your members. Read more about AGMs and view our free resources [[link removed]].

The ACNC acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures and elders past and present.

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Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission

GPO Box 5108

Melbourne VIC 3001

© Commonwealth of Australia

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