Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is the independent national regulator of charities. The ACNC has been set up to achieve the following objectives:
- maintain, protect and enhance public trust and confidence in the sector through increased accountability and transparency
- support and sustain a robust, vibrant, independent and innovative not-for-profit sector
- promote the reduction of unnecessary regulatory obligations on the sector.
The ACNC:
- registers organisations as charities
- helps charities understand and meet their obligations through information, guidance, advice and other support.
- helps the public understand the work of the not-for profit sector through information, guidance, advice and other support.
- maintains a free and searchable public register so that anyone can look up information about registered charities.
- is working with state and territory governments (as well as individual federal, state and territory government agencies) to develop a ‘report-once, use-often’ reporting framework for charities.
Fair Work Ombudsman
The Fair Work Ombudsman is the federal workplace regulator, aiming to be responsive to the needs and expectations of the Australian government and the community.
To achieve this, the Fair Work Ombudsman:
- provides practical advice that is easy to access, understand and apply
- encourages and empowers employees and employers to resolve issues in their workplace
- builds a culture of compliance with workplace laws
- works with stakeholders to find solutions to workplace issues and finds opportunities to collaborate
- is a high performing, capable and responsive agency that delivers exceptional customer service.
Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership
www.communitybusinesspartnership.gov.au
The Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership has been re-established to bring together leaders from the business and community sectors to promote philanthropic giving and investment in Australia.
The Partnership’s role is to advise the government on practical strategies to foster a culture of philanthropic giving, volunteering and investment in Australia. Its focus is on priorities such as eliminating institutional barriers to philanthropic giving; considering the potential of innovative investment models; and building research on trends, education and best practice in the sector.
Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations is an independent statutory office holder appointed by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act). Mr Anthony Beven was appointed to the position on 1 October 2007.
The Registrar’s office supports and regulates the corporations that are incorporated under the Act. It does this in a variety of ways: by advising them on how to incorporate, by training directors, members and key staff in good corporate governance, by making sure they comply with the law and by intervening when needed.
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is a government agency responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, the internet, radio communications and telecommunications.
ACMA’s responsibilities include:
- promoting self-regulation and competition in the communications industry, while protecting consumers and other users
- fostering an environment in which electronic media respects community standards and responds to audience and user needs
- managing access to the radio frequency spectrum
- representing Australia’s communications interests internationally.
Contact ACMA in regards to the Spam Act and the Do Not Call Register.
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
The ACCC promotes competition and fair trade in markets to benefit consumers, businesses and the community. They also regulate national infrastructure services. The ACCC’s primary responsibility is to ensure that individuals and businesses comply with Australian competition, fair trading and consumer protection laws; in particular, the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is an independent Australian government agency established under the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010.
The OAIC has three primary functions:
- privacy functions, conferred by the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and other laws
- freedom of information functions; in particular, oversight of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and review of decisions made by agencies and ministers under that Act
- government information policy functions, conferred on the Australian Information Commissioner under the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010.
Major changes to federal freedom of information (FOI) law made in 2010 established the OAIC as the body responsible for all three of these functions. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner, which was the national privacy regulator, was integrated into the OAIC at this time.
Australian Taxation Office
The ATO website includes a section specifically built for non-profit organisations such as charities, societies, clubs and associations.
Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission
The Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission is a statutory body set up to regulate prices, access to infrastructure services and other matters in relation to regulated industries and to investigate competitive neutrality complaints and government-regulated activities. They are also responsible for licensing utility services and ensuring compliance with licence conditions.
Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet)
RegNet is a dynamic community of scholars from different disciplines united by their interest in governance and regulation. They have received international recognition as one of the world’s most vibrant governance and regulatory academic centres, combining rigorous interdisciplinary research with innovative forms of knowledge-translation in Australia, across the Asia-Pacific region, and globally. Their work is built on principles of justice, sustainability and human well-being.
