NSW Moves to Cut Fundraising Red Tape

The NSW Liberal Government has become the first to agree in principle to the benefits of aligning with the national charity regulator in an effort to reduce fundraising red tape.

The Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, which oversees fundraising in NSW, recently announced its new Charitable Fundraising Regulations aimed at streamlining the reporting requirements for charitable fundraisers.

The new regulation will replace the outdated 2008 laws, with the most significant changes revolving around cost cutting and red tape reduction for charities.

Licensed fundraisers in NSW will now only need to have their financial reports audited if they have annual revenue of $250,000 or more. Previously it was $100,000.

The head of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), Susan Pascoe, welcomed the changes.

“This aligns reporting requirements more closely with those of the ACNC, which do not require charities with annual revenue of less than $250,000 to have their financial reports audited. Also, in the new Charitable Fundraising Authority Conditions, there is no longer a requirement for unincorporated organisations with annual income of over $100,000 to report on the outcome of an appeal,” Pascoe said.

“The ACNC welcomes these changes – they are important steps on the journey to reducing the overall reporting burden on registered charities, particularly small charities.”

A report by the NSW Government on public consultation around the new regulations outlined its plans to work closer with the ACNC.

“The opportunity to work with the ACNC to improve compliance outcomes and reduce red tape will be facilitated in the context of the shift in regulatory responsibility for charitable fundraising laws on 1 July 2015, and the opportunities provided by the continuation of the ACNC, having regard to departmental resources and priorities,” the report said.

The report also noted that “it would be beneficial for the NSW Government to work with the Australian Government to centralise information from charities through the ACNC as a one?stop?shop to reduce duplication of reporting to multiple Government departments. It would also promote integrity and enable the general public to easily search a charity’s financial and governance information with confidence through one portal”.

Pascoe flagged further changes in the future, saying the ACNC was “working hard to try and implement similar arrangements in other areas”.

For more information on the charitable fundraising changes in NSW, click here.