Submission on Draft Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Bill 2012
- Date:27 Jan 2012
- Type:Policy Submission
This
submission is in response to the
Draft Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Bill 2012, released by the Federal Government on 9 December 2011.
Our submission begins by outlining a number of concerns with the consultation, including the continued practice of Federal Treasury and the Federal Government to have short consultation periods over the Christmas and January holiday season, and the need for more holistic and developed NFP reform proposals. Feedback provided by Company Directors included that the proposed powers of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) Commissioner to give directions are excessive and without appropriate safeguards, the financial reporting and auditor requirements appear excessive, and the legal duties of NFP directors should be similar to those owed by directors of companies limited by guarantee.
While we support the objectives underlying the Federal Government’s NFP reform initiatives, we propose that based on current consultations it would be preferable to extend the current 1 July 2012 deadline for the establishment of the ACNC and associated reforms, after full and proper consultation has taken place and moves to reduce red tape are more advanced.
Download our submission to ACNC on the Draft Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Bill 2012 (PDF 113 KB)
Download our cover letter to ACNC (PDF 154 KB)