ACNC to Revoke 400 Charity Registrations

The national charity regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) says it plans to revoke the charity status of another 400 organisations it believes are no longer operating.

The ACNC says the charities are being removed from the ACNC Charity Register as they have not been in contact with the ACNC since its establishment on 3 December 2012, have not responded to multiple letters and calls, and have not completed their 2013 Annual Information Statement.

The ACNC says it was also not able to find evidence to suggest these charities are still operating, despite an exhaustive search.

The revocations follow the removal of almost 4000 charities from the ACNC Register since the establishment including 246 in August 2014. This figure also includes charities that have voluntarily revoked their registration.

“Revoking charities that we believe are no longer operating is necessary to maintaining and building the Charity Register – Australia’s first free, searchable, database of registered charities,” ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe AM said.

“To date the Charity Register has received over 450,000 views. Therefore it is  important that we continuously work to verify the information, so that donors, funders and members of the public have access to a reliable and up-to-date resource of active charities.

“Charities that have their charity status revoked by the ACNC will no longer be able to access Commonwealth charity tax concessions. If any charity is revoked, but later found to be still operating, the ACNC will work with the charity to restore its  charity status as soon as possible.

Pascoe said an additional 3200 charities may be progressively removed from the Charity Register over the coming months.

“Charities are advised to complete their 2013 Annual Information Statement to ensure they maintain their charity status, and do not incur penalties.”

The full list of charities marked for revocation is available at acnc.gov.au/whereareyou