ABSTRACT

The chapter provides the context in which Australia's first fit-for-purpose charity regulator was established, the stormy passage of the legislation, the work of the taskforce which oversaw the establishment of Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The objects of the ACNC Act require the regulator to assist charities to comply by providing guidance and education. The ACNC has had the immense advantage of commencing in digital era. The Financial Action Taskforce (FATF), which addresses international anti-money-laundering and counterterrorism measures in member countries, has found Australia only partially compliant. FATF has recommended regulatory coverage of not-for-profit (NFP) entities and greater outreach to counter the support of terrorism. The ACNC was formally recognized for its excellence in this area, winning the Institute of Public Administration's 2016 Digital Transformation Award. The problem for ACNC was that we had the object "to promote the reduction of unnecessary regulatory obligations on Australian NFP sector", but neither explicit powers nor the budget to achieve administrative simplification.