The Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission: Implications of a New National Regulator in Australia

Louise Steer, Assistant Company Secretary, Mission Australia, Australia

After several major Commonwealth government inquiries – the the Productivity Commission: Contribution of the Non Profit Sector (2009), Henry Tax Review (2010), the Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into Disclosure Regimes for Charities (2010), Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into Finance for the Not-for-Profit Sector (2011) and the Commonwealth government’s announcement of the creation of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) to provide a central point of registration for charities and not-for-profits (NFPs) at the highest level of government in Australia is a positive move for charities and not-for-profit organisations. Public sector support is a critical factor in the growth of the not-for-profit sector, particularly where governments provide funds for private charities to administer and distribute funding. However, there are still questions as to how the ACNC will carry out its role.

Louise Steer has 30 years’ experience in legal practice and has recently been appointed , Assistant Company Secretary, Mission Australia. Previously she was a consultant in fundraising policy and standards for Fundraising Institute Australia and Fundraising Institute New Zealand, for whom she developed the Principles and Standards of Fundraising Practice, which have now achieved international recognition as a benchmark for professional standards in Korea, Poland and New Zealand and at the highest levels of Australian government. She is an Associate Member of Fundraising Institute Australia and a member of the Law Society of NSW.

Mission Australia is a community service organisation that has been transforming the lives of Australians in need for more than 150 years. Today we provide more than 550 community and employment services that help over 300,000 Australians a year.