Red tape cut for charities

From 1 July 2017, over 600 charities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) will no longer be required to also report to the ACT Government under red tape reduction measures designed to remove duplication in reporting.
At the signing of the MOU between Access Canberra and the ACNC, Access Canberra’s Deputy Director-General, Dave Peffer, said the Red Tape Reduction Legislation Amendment Act 2017, passed on 6 June 2017, removed the duplication of reporting requirements and makes the ACNC the primary regulator for charities.
“What this means in practice is less paperwork for charities and more time for them to do what they do best: supporting our community,” Peffer said.
“From 1 July 2017, those charities registered with the ACNC that undertake fundraising will no longer need a charitable collection licence in the ACT and will only need to submit their Annual Information Statement once, to the ACNC.”
The ACNC’s Commissioner, Susan Pascoe, applauded the ACT Government’s commitment to red tape reduction.
“The ACNC and ACT Government have worked closely for an extended period to develop and deliver these reforms,” Pascoe said.
“Beginning almost immediately, the ACT’s registered charities will benefit from the removal of arrangements that required duplicative reporting to two different regulators.
“The ACNC will continue to work with other state and territory governments to implement similar reforms for the benefit of Australia’s registered charities and the community.”
The MOU formalises the sharing of information between the two organisations.
Once a charity advises ACNC of a change, the information will flow to the ACT from the ACNC avoiding duplication in reporting.  This exchange of information will allow Access Canberra to have relevant information about charities operating as associations in the ACT.