ACNC Streamlines Reporting for Non-government Schools
21 May 2015 at 11:08 am
The charity regulator has released guidelines to help non-government schools access and complete new streamlined reporting.
The guidelines follow an Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) announcement last month that non-government schools will not have to directly provide financial information to the ACNC for the 2014 and 2015 reporting periods.
The ACNC said it will instead remove duplicative reporting by extracting the relevant data from Department of Education and Training Annual Financial Questionnaires.
The guidance, developed in consultation with the sector, is part of a suite of work the charity regulator is undertaking to streamline reporting for highly regulated sectors.
ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe said the ACNC is committed to streamlining reporting processes for non-government schools.
“We know the majority of non-government schools have good governance,” Pascoe said.
“Our approach to red-tape reduction is two-fold. We want to minimise our own regulatory requirements to those necessary, and to work with other agencies to reduce unnecessary or duplicative administrative requirements imposed on the sector.
“The guidance we have released today will ensure all non-government schools who wish to participate in the streamlined arrangements can do so, and the little remaining reporting can be completed quickly and easily,” Pascoe said.
The ACNC said it developed the guidelines in consultation with the Independent Schools Council of Australia and the National Catholic Education Commission.
Independent Schools Council of Australia Executive Director, Dr Yvonne Luxford, said the guidance will be a valuable resource for schools to ensure they know how to undertake the streamlined reporting.
“We have been working with the ACNC on developing guidance so non-government schools know how to undertake the streamlined reporting. The guidance is a quick guide for schools on what they do and don’t have to report on,” Dr Luxford said.
The guidance can be accessed at www.acnc.gov.au/nongovschools
