1. Australian Charities and
Not-for-profits Commission
ACNC
Mark Ferguson
Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission
Taskforce - Information Portal
1 May 2012

2. Why a national regulator?
• Current regulatory framework is unclear and
adds complexity and cost
• Registration & reporting offers transparency
• Transparency builds trust & confidence
• Will provide information and guidance
 improve understanding & good governance
• Better able to engage with charities and deal
with issues that arise

3. The ACNC will
• Be an Independent statutory office
 own appropriation
 report to Parliament (through Asst. Treasurer)
• Have headquarters in Melbourne
• Get back office services from ATO e.g. payroll
• Develop MOUs with Taxation Commissioner to
ensure budgetary and staffing independence
• Have a budget of $53.6m over four years 2011–14
(including IT build)

4. The ACNC Role
• Register charities (ATO apply tax concessions)
• Establish and maintain an up-to-date, publicly
searchable online register of charities
• Establish a one-stop-shop for charities which
enables them to
 apply for charity registration,
 apply for ABN,
 access Commonwealth tax concessions, and
 potentially access other services including state
and territory tax concessions

5. ACNC will also
• Provide a ‘report once, use often’ service for
charities to assist in reduction of regulatory
reporting with co-operation of States/Territories
• Provide information and guidance for the sector
• Promote public trust and confidence in the
sector
• Monitor compliance and investigate regulatory
breaches

6. Regulatory Approach
• Light-touch, risk-based, evidence-based approach
• Emphasise mainstreaming; encourage public
watchdogs; adopt dual track approach
• Provide information, guidance and education
• Use graduated powers, provide opportunity for
self-correction
• Regulatory Principles: relevance, proportionality,
consistency, transparency, timeliness.

7. Registration
NFP applicant to provide
• Details and contact info
• Charitable purpose and activity
• Charity beneficiaries
• Source of funds and where they operate
• Officer details and any remuneration
• Tax concessions sought
• Governing documents and declaration

8. ACNC Portal – UK example

9. ACNC Portal – UK charity trustees

10. ACNC Portal – UK charity overview
Employees: 2,856
Volunteers: 30,884

11. What could this mean to you?
• From 1 October 2012 all new charity registration will be
through the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits
Commission (ACNC)
• Charities currently endorsed by the ATO will be automatically
registered with ACNC
• Ongoing eligibility will be reviewed following passage of the
new charities legislation in 2013
• Annual reporting to ACNC will be required of all registered
charities
• To reduce compliance burden, this information will be
provided to other federal government agencies
• Information will be available to the public through the online
portal from 1 July 2013 (or earlier)
• The broader NFP sector may need to register in the future -
but not now.

12. Consultation issues include
• Support role of ACNC as national regulator, mindful
of diversity of NFP sector
• Support portal – and red tape reduction is critical
• Support tiered financial and governance reporting
• Sensitive to complex structures
• Need to work with other regulatory, government and
intelligence agencies
• Must not forget needs of small charities, reliant on
volunteers and those located in remote areas

13. Feedback on Portal concerns
• Accessibility
 resource constraints - older computers or none at all
 geographical isolation may prevent web connection
 volunteers may lack computer skills
• Information privacy and system security
 Some charities details should not be available
 Security of information collected
• Provision and use of public information
 Need to provide timely and clear guidance
 Risk use of data to create ‘league tables’

14. Current status
• Most of the senior staff have been appointed and
recruitment is advanced for remaining staff
• Major work systems & processes documented
• June move to ACNC offices in Collins St Melbourne
• Website build with online registration is on track
for 1 July 2012 (initial timeframe)
• New 1 October 2012 launch allows extra content
with inclusions based on sector feedback
• Investigating further site upgrades before launch

15. Implementation Plan
• Release in May
• Will provide detail on
 Charity registration
 reporting framework
 information portal and
 education strategy
• Outlines expectations of charities over the
next eighteen months

16. Thank you
Comments or Questions?
Email: ACNCMailbox@ato.gov.au
Web: http://acnctaskforce.treasury.gov.au
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/acnctaskforce
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/acnctaskforce?sk=wall