Following compliance investigations, the ACNC revoked the registrations of 15 charities in 2021. The organisations were found to have breached the ACNC Act or the Governance Standards.
ACNC Commissioner Dr Gary Johns said most of Australia’s 60,000 registered charities are well-run and comply with their obligations, but there are a few that do not have good governance practices and do not follow the rules.
“In those cases, our first step is to educate the charity to help it meet requirements, and this results in a positive outcome in most cases. However, if there is a serious breach or the organisation does not cooperate with an investigation we will revoke its registration — the strongest action we can take. That means it no longer has access to Commonwealth charity tax concessions including income tax exemption, and deductible gift recipient status,” he said.
The ACNC’s latest official data demonstrates the community’s confidence in the sector; in 2019 there were $11.8 billion in donations and 3.6 million volunteers, as well as government funding of $78.1 billion.
“As the regulator, it is important that we maintain the community’s confidence in the sector by educating charities, working with them to help them comply with their obligations and taking tough action when it is occasionally necessary,” Dr Johns said.
Anyone can raise a concern about a charity. Last year, the ACNC received 2034 concerns and finalised 87 investigations. The most common concerns were about perceived mismanagement of funds or individuals obtaining private benefits from charities.
SOURCE
Registrations of 15 charities revoked in 2021 following compliance investigations (ACNC)
