An agreement between Consumer Protection and the national Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has lifted the red tape burden on charities in the State.
As a result of changes to the Charitable Collections Act, administration costs have been reduced, resulting in more money being made available to charity recipients.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Lanie Chopping (pictured) said the changes simplified the application process and reporting requirements while removing duplication of compliance for charities.
“Charity licences do not have an expiry date now, so they don’t have to be renewed every three years as was required previously,” Ms Chopping said.
“However, the continuous licences are issued on the condition that the charity complies with annual reporting and other obligations.”
She said that from the 2020 financial year, most WA charities that were registered with the ACNC no longer needed to submit annual financial statements to both Agencies.
“The ACNC now shares that information and, if annual revenue is under $250,000, the accounts do not need to be audited or reviewed,” Ms Chopping said.
“The red tape reductions have been warmly welcomed by the sector but those in need of assistance will benefit the most.”
She said the reforms were a significant step forward in harmonising charity laws throughout Australia and reducing the regulatory burden on the sector which dealt with Federal and various State Agencies.
“The changes in the law won’t change the high level of scrutiny of organisations that collect donations and we will continue to ensure that funds are used as donors intended,” Ms Chopping said.
