The proposed 1 October 2012 date for the commencement of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) will be delayed following a Coalition filibuster in the Parliament.
Legislation to establish the ACNC passed the House of Representatives earlier this week but was significantly delayed by a Coalition filibuster. The bill has moved to the Senate but is not expected to be debated and voted on until October. The ACNC will commence shortly after legislation passes Parliament.
The establishment of the ACNC is an historic reform, with broad support across the not-for-profit (NFP) sector. Unfortunately the Coalition has chosen not to listen to the NFP sector, preferring to say ‘no’ to a reform that will strengthen and support the sector as it grows into the future.
The Government has acted prudently to put in place contingency arrangements to deal with this delay, with the existing ACNC Taskforce and other arrangements in place until the legislation is passed and the ACNC commences.
A short delay to the commencement date will not have a material impact on the sector with the governance standards, including the external conduct standards, and the financial reporting framework not commencing until 1 July 2013 and the first financial reports for medium and large registered entities not falling due until after 1 July 2014.