ACNC Phone-In Day
18 February 2013 at 3:46 pm
Australia’s newly established charity regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission is holding a ‘phone-in day’ this week to collect feedback on its approach to regulation.
On Wednesday February 20, the ACNC will take calls from 8.00am to 8.00pm on the ACNC Regulatory Approach Statement.
The ACNC says that the ‘phone-in’ is part of a larger consultation being undertaken by the ACNC by way of online survey and face-to-face feedback.
The consultation, which opened in December last year, seeks to refine a statement to the public about how the ACNC administers the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission Act 2012 (Cth) and uses its regulatory powers.
ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe says that the ACNC understands that the overwhelming majority of charities act honestly and that most mistakes made innocently.
“Most mistakes made by charities will be unintentional and due to a lack of knowledge or understanding about registered charities’ obligations,” Pascoe said.
“In these situations, charities will have the opportunity to self-correct and fix the problem.
“Our approach is to use the least coercive powers that are sufficient to address the concerns or problem raised.”
Pascoe said that more than 200 people have already participated in the consultation and preliminary results show that the majority of participants agree with the approach.
“The ACNC's regulatory approach statement will continue to be refined over time. Although the formal consultation closes on March 1 2013, we will continue to welcome ongoing feedback,” Pascoe said.
The ACNC says that people who participate this in the ‘phone-in’ day are encouraged to read, or have to hand, the ACNC’s Regulatory Approach consultation statement before they call and be aware that there may be a short wait on hold if the ACNC experiences a large volume of calls.
To participate in the consultation phone-in day, call 13 ACNC (13 22 62) between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm Eastern Standard Time.
