ACNC’s Charity Portal Wins Public Sector Innovation Award

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has won a 2016 Public Sector Innovation Award for its Charity Portal.

The charity regulator was announced as the winner of the Digital Transformation category by the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) at a ceremony in Canberra on Wednesday.

The award, which was presented by Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Greg Hunt, recognised initiatives that demonstrate the spirit of digital transformation, including providing better and easier services and interactions with citizens.

The ACNC were acknowledged for their Charity Portal which was launched in November 2013 as a self-service digital interface to reduce the burden of paperwork faced by Australia’s 54,000 registered charities.

ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe AM said the ACNC was a digital-by-default agency.

“The ACNC is committed to providing easy-to-use online systems for those in the community running registered charities,” Pascoe said.

“When the ACNC was established in December 2012, we put considerable resources into the Charity Portal to ensure charities could meet their obligations with as little effort as possible.

“By taking a digital-by-default approach, we are now also in a position to share the information registered charities submit each year with other regulatory bodies, such as state government agencies. This will result in significant red tape reduction for those charities that currently have duplicative reporting requirements.”

The awards, which will be held annually, recognise innovation in the Australian Public Service.

The call for nominations received a great response, with 83 nominations received from across the Commonwealth Government.

Awards were given in four categories: Innovative Solutions, Engaging with the Edge, Culture and Practive and Digital Transformation.

The ACNC was was one of three finalists in the Digital Transformation category, up against Australian Financial Security Authority for its Quick Motor Vehicle Search and the Australian Taxation Office for its Cloud Software Authentication and Authorisation.

Pascoe thanked the IPAA for acknowledging their work in this space, and those within the ACNC that “worked tirelessly” to develop and maintain the online services.

“Similarly, my thanks to those charities who have provided feedback on our digital systems during the development stages and as we have expanded the services over time,” Pascoe said.