New ACNC guide on charities, elections and advocacy
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The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) published a new guide for registered charities with a focus on political advocacy during elections.
The new guide, Charities, elections and advocacy, sets out the ACNC’s expectations of registered charities that plan on advocating or campaigning ahead of the 2016 federal election.
The purpose of the guide is to help charity board and committee members decide what advocacy and campaigning they can appropriately undertake and what they should avoid.
The ACNC Commissioner, Susan Pascoe, welcomed the timely release of the guide.
“The ACNC understands that prior to elections, many charities will be considering how they can voice their opinions or concerns about certain political issues,” Pascoe said.
“Ultimately, it is up to charity boards and committees to ensure that their charity’s activities are in line with their charitable purposes. As the national charity regulator it is important that the ACNC provides guidance for boards to ensure they understand this complex area of charity law.
“Charities, elections and advocacy aims to help registered charities make informed decisions on how they can appropriately express their views on issues relevant to their charitable purposes.”
Pascoe said the guide clearly sets out what activities ACNC consider to be acceptable, and what activities may bring a charity’s entitlement to registration into question.
The guide also sets out how the ACNC will respond to concerns raised by the public about a charity’s activities.
Pascoe said that the ACNC had received a number of queries regarding advocacy by registered charities.
“Since the ACNC was established in December 2012, both the charity sector and public have contacted us to clarify what charities can and cannot do in this space.
“Ahead of the upcoming federal election it is clear that there is a need for guidance from the ACNC on what activities we consider to be appropriate, and of course, those activities that may be inappropriate.”
