Registered charities see benefits of Qld reform cutting red tape

RED TAPE cuts for all Australian charities that conduct fundraising are now in place, with the latest reform now taking effect in Queensland.

Charities that conduct fundraising in Queensland, which are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), are now only required to report information about their fundraising activities to the ACNC in their Annual Information Statement.

The ACNC will share that information with Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading, eliminating the need for charities to report to two government bodies.

In addition, Queensland incorporated associations that are also registered charities can now report once to the ACNC and this will satisfy their reporting obligations to the Queensland regulator.

Acting ACNC Commissioner Deborah Jenkins said it was a big step to reduce the burden on charities. 

“We know charities want to focus on their main goals — to help people, animals, the environment and a range of causes. Many rely on fundraising to achieve their goals, so this reform matters to charities a great deal,” Ms Jenkins said.

“Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading has worked with us to streamline the processes around reporting and fundraising, and we are grateful for the collaboration to achieve this mutually beneficial outcome.”

Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Fair Trading, Shannon Fentiman said the reduction in duplicated reporting would save more than 5,000 Queensland organisations precious time and money.

“Incorporated associations, charities, and community purpose organisations are a vital part of Queensland communities and our economy, and I’m pleased that so many will benefit from this reduction in regulatory obligations so they can focus on their core purpose of helping others,” Ms Fentiman said.

Ms Jenkins said the ACNC was proud to have reached agreements with all state and territory jurisdictions over the past few years to achieve significant red tape cuts, and the ACNC looked forward to working with them to make further progress.

“Red tape reduction is a priority for us,” Ms Jenkins said. “One of the ACNC’s objects is to promote the reduction of unnecessary regulatory obligations. There remains much to do, however, we are celebrating this significant step.”

All Australian charities can now submit their 2022 Annual Information Statement to the ACNC. This applies to the majority of charities that report to the ACNC on a financial year basis.

See more about the ACNC’s red tape reduction here.

www.acnc.gov.au

ends