Three Australian organisations lose charity status
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The national charity regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), has announced the revocation of three organisations following investigations into their activities and operations.
The organisations are:
- City Of Wollongong Aerial Patrol Inc (ABN: 93543673242)
- Australian Multicultural Christian Society Incorporated (ABN: 42929375189)
- GLCS Group Incorporated
These charities have 60 days to object to the ACNC‘s revocation decisions, in which case they will be reviewed internally.
The acting ACNC Commissioner, David Locke, said the ACNC takes a proportionate approach to compliance.
“In instances where our investigations find minor breaches of the ACNC Act or Governance Standards, we work with the charity to resolve these issues with education, guidance and support,” Locke said.
“However, when we find serious breaches of the ACNC Act or Governance Standards, or mismanagement, we will take firm action, including revocation of charity status.
“Revoking a charity’s status is reserved for the most serious of cases and results in the loss of generous Commonwealth charity tax concessions. Revoked charities are also no longer able to display the ACNC’s Registered Charity Tick.”
Locke encouraged members of the public to raise concerns about charities with the ACNC.
“We receive over 100 concerns about charities each month,” Locke said.
“Many of these concerns are raised by members of the public and provide the ACNC with vital information to help us with our enquires.
“I encourage members of the public to raise any concerns with the ACNC by calling 13 ACNC or by visiting acnc.gov.au/raiseaconcern.”
City Of Wollongong Aerial Patrol Inc
According to the Australian Business Register (ABR), the City Of Wollongong Aerial Patrol Inc has been operating since November 1999 and is based in New South Wales.
It was endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as a deductible gift recipient (DGR), and was also endorsed to access the following Commonwealth charity tax concessions as a public benevolent institution:
- GST Concession,
- Income Tax Exemption, and
- FBT Rebate.
The decision to revoke charity status, which was announced on 2 October 2017, was backdated to 1 July 2013.
Australian Multicultural Christian Society Incorporated
Per the ABR, the Australian Multicultural Christian Society Incorporated has been operating since August 2012 and is based in New South Wales.
It was endorsed by the ATO as a DGR, and was also endorsed to access the following Commonwealth charity tax concessions:
- GST Concession,
- Income Tax Exemption, and
- FBT Rebate.
The decision to revoke charity status, which was announced on 27 September 2017, was backdated to 21 June 2017.
GLCS Group Incorporated
The ABR shows that the GLCS Group Incorporated, also known as Gay & Lesbian Community Services SA, has been operating since November 1999 and is based in South Australia.
It was endorsed by the ATO as a DGR, and was also endorsed to access the following Commonwealth tax concessions as a public benevolent institution:
- GST Concession,
- Income Tax Exemption, and
- FBT Rebate.
The decision to revoke charity status, which was announced on 28 September 2017, was backdated to 1 July 2013.
All three organisations will lose access to Commonwealth charity tax concessions following the revocation of their registration as a charity.
The ACNC is prevented from disclosing further details due to secrecy provisions in the ACNC Act. However, the ACNC publishes instances where it uses its formal powers, including revocation, on the Charity Register.
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