As the independent Commonwealth regulator of charities, we are responsible for registering new charities, as well as administering the national regulatory framework for over 63,000 charities.
Our key activity is to maintain a free and accurate register of Australian charities (the Charity Register) and we are committed to having the Register available as much as possible.
We are committed to:
- maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the Charity Register
- registering new charities in a timely manner
- through our Register integrity work, which includes reviews of charity entitlement of deductible gift recipient‑endorsed charitiesExternal Link, monitoring and enforcement activitiesExternal Link and revocation of charity status for those who persistently fail to meet their reporting obligations via our double defaulter processExternal Link
- helping charities to understand and meet their obligations through guidance, advice and other support
- informing public policy makers, researchers and the media about the work of the charity sector through submissions, reports, advice and other support
- working with all levels of government to share our data to reduce regulatory burden and highlight the impact that reforms will have on charities.
Our Regulatory Approach StatementExternal Link outlines our approach to regulating charities.
Most of our effort is focused on education in line with our regulatory approach, and in acknowledgement that 73% of charities are small and have limited resources. We know that most people involved in charities are honest, act in good faith and try to do the right thing. However, we will not hesitate to act where there is a risk of harm to the public or serious wrongdoing.
As we perform a regulatory function, we have embedded the Australian Government’s 3 best practice principles into everything we do.
|
Description |
Continuous improvement and building trust |
Risk-based and data-driven |
Collaboration and engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Maintaining a free and accurate register of Australian Charities |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Description |
Continuous improvement and building trust |
Risk-based and data-driven |
Collaboration and engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Government |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Users of ACNC data |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Consultation and advisory forums |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Other regulators for charities |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Description |
Continuous improvement and building trust |
Risk-based and data-driven |
Collaboration and engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Percentage of time that the Charity Register is available (excluding scheduled maintenance) |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Percentage of new eligible charities registered within 15 business days of ACNC receiving all information necessary to make a decision |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Description |
Continuous improvement and building trust |
Risk-based and data-driven |
Collaboration and engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regulator Statement of intent |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
Our Ministerial Statement of ExpectationsExternal Link and Regulator Statement of IntentExternal Link are publicly available on the Treasury website.