1,000 Charities Saved

More than 1,000 Australian charities have heeded a final warning from the national regulator, saving their charity status.

The last ditch warning from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) for organisations to complete their mandatory reporting resulted in 1,162 charities submitting their paperwork and holding onto their charity registrations.

Over 2,400 charities had received a formal notification in February that their ACNC charity registration would be revoked for failing to submit Annual Information Statements for two years.

Almost half of the charities that received the notification responded by submitting their outstanding statements and updating their charity details, saving their ACNC registrations and charity tax concessions in the process.

ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe AM welcomed the action of the charities.

“The public have a right to know how their donations are being spent. While it’s disappointing that these charities did not submit their statements until issued formal warnings, it is encouraging to see them heed the serious warnings and take appropriate action,” Pascoe said.

“By submitting outstanding statements and updating their records, these charities have avoided losing charity registration and their Commonwealth charity tax concessions.”

While Pascoe noted that the response to the notification was encouraging, she highlighted the significant number that had failed to respond and have had their ACNC registrations revoked.

“There were 1,269 charities that failed to submit their outstanding statements despite being sent multiple reminders and warnings.” she said.

“We have revoked the registrations of these charities. As such, their profiles on the public Charity Register will clearly display their revoked status. The ATO has been notified to remove their Commonwealth charity tax concessions.”

Pascoe added said it was important to note that this group represented a small minority of charities.

“The vast majority of registered charities submit their statements on time. This demonstrates a widespread commitment to accountability and transparency in the sector,” she said.

“Submitting an Annual Information Statement sends an important signal to the public that a charity is well-governed, compliant and accountable. It is also crucial to the integrity of the ACNC Charity Register.

“This helps increase trust and confidence in the charity sector and ensures the public, donors and grant makers can make informed decisions.”

The list of charities that had their registrations revoked can be found here.