Registrar and the ACNC work together to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander charities

The Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) have formally agreed to collaborate to deliver efficient regulation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander registered charities.

The Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, Anthony Beven, and ACNC Acting Commissioner, Murray Baird, today have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to consolidate the working relationship between the two agencies.

The MoU confirms that the ACNC will accept reports lodged with the Registrar under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) Act 2006 (CATSI Act), as satisfying ACNC annual reporting requirements, until at least 2014–15.

ACNC Acting Commissioner, Murray Baird, said, ‘More than 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations registered with the Registrar are also ACNC registered charities and will directly benefit from the arrangement between the two agencies.

‘This is a prime example of what agencies can achieve when they work together to streamline regulation.’

The Registrar, Anthony Beven, said, ‘This is a great result for the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations registered under the CATSI Act that are doing important charitable work in communities around Australia.’

The MoU sets out a framework for ongoing cooperation between the two agencies and facilitates liaison, referral and exchange of information and materials.

This is the second MoU the ACNC has signed with another Commonwealth agency recently, with a MoU between ASIC and the ACNC announced earlier this week. This indicates that the new national charity regulator is serious about making real progress in reducing regulatory obligations for registered charities.

Link to MoU: www.oric.gov.au/publications/Speeches and MoUs

Media contact

Patricia Gibson
(02) 6146 4743
21 June 2013

ACNC media contact: Trina Coulson (03) 8601 9377, media@acnc.gov.au