What's in the April 2022 update?
- Free Governance Health Checks
- Law and policy updates: Changes to ACNC reporting for large charities; new laws for employee share schemes; and Western Australian Work Health and Safety laws
- Updated resources: Discrimination and privacy laws; the tax landscape; and Western Australian Work Health and Safety laws
- Upcoming webinars: Member Disputes and Conflict; Bringing Volunteers Back Safely; Privacy and Data Laws; and Screening Checks
- Tailored training sessions
- News from our sector: Guide for boards and management on the path to net zero; and government reforms on income tax-exempt not-for-profits
Free Governance Health Checks
We know how difficult it can be for organisations to create and maintain good governance frameworks. Through our Governance Health Checks, we help organisations stay on top of your governance obligations so you can focus on delivering more vital services to the community. Our lawyers will assess your organisation’s governance and legal processes and obligations, and provide recommendations for areas of improvement.
To find out more about how a free Governance Health Check could improve your organisation's capacity, read about how we helped Council for Intellectual Disability with their legal obligations.
This support is available to eligible social service and health not-for-profit organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations delivering services in New South Wales
Law and policy updates
Changes to ACNC reporting for large charities
In June 2021, the Government announced changes to charity financial reporting obligations to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The ACNC has now released further information on which charities will be required to report on the remuneration of key management personnel. All charities should review this information to assess whether they will be required to report on key management personnel remuneration.
New laws for employee share schemes
Proposed changes to sections of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) about employee share schemes will make it easier for social enterprises with a Pty Ltd structure to offer shares to employees. This will benefit organisations that want to be employee- or community owned, but are not interested in a cooperative structure. The new laws, which will be made through the Treasury Laws Amendment (Cost of Living Support and Other Measures) Bill 2022, will offer regulatory relief to organisations offering shares to employees, including exemptions from some laws on disclosure, hawking, advertising, and the requirement to hold a financial services licence. Employee share schemes will need to comply with new simplified requirements.
Western Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws
The Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) came into effect in Western Australia on 31 March 2022. We have updated our national guide to community organisations and WHS laws and our Western Australian guide to WHS law to help your organisation stay up to date with work health and safety compliance in Western Australia.
Updated resources
Discrimination and privacy laws
Tax landscape
Western Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws
Webinars
Upcoming webinars
Our webinar program provides practical, easy to understand overviews on areas of law relevant to not-for-profits. These webinars are open to all to attend and do book out, so register today.
Member Disputes and Conflict on the Committee
Tuesday 24 May, 12.45 - 2pm (AEST)
Disputes and conflict can cause unnecessary disruption to your workplace. In this free webinar, you’ll learn how to avoid and manage member conflicts and disputes, gain an understanding of relevant laws, and where to go if you need further assistance.
Bringing Volunteers Back Safely
Tuesday 31 May, 12.45 - 2pm (AEST)
Whether you’ve continued to engage volunteers remotely or you’re starting to make a plan for re-engaging your volunteer workforce, this webinar is for you. We’ll guide you through emerging legal issues in volunteer management, and what you need to do to safely re-engage your volunteers.
Privacy and Data Laws
Tuesday 14 June, 12.45 - 2pm (AEST)
To help you navigate your organisation’s legal obligations, we’ll walk you through the personal information lifecycle: from collection, through to use and disclosure, storage, complaints, and the data breach notification laws.
Screening Checks
Tuesday 21 June. 12.45 - 2pm (AEST)
Screening checks are essential to protect all those involved with your service. This low-cost webinar will walk you through the basics of how to set up a screening process, what types of checks you need, and updates to the law around screening.
Training
We hit the ground running in 2022 delivering customised training sessions to over 300 participants in organisations all around Australia. We provide practical, interactive sessions — delivered in plain English — on topics including Privacy and Data Laws, Governing a Not-for-profit Organisation, and Volunteer Safety, Risk and Insurance. Contact us to find out how our tailored training sessions can help your organisation make sense of complex laws.
Hear from the organisations we’ve helped:
'This was the clearest and most thorough training on the duty of care and risk management that I've ever come across. It was extremely helpful and will provide a great basis for a reassessment of our organisation's current approach.’
'Really great practical content that has clearly laid out the responsibility of board positions.'
'It flowed nicely and was informative. Presenters also adapted to the flexible nature of our board and their questions.’
News from our sector
Guide for boards and management on the path to net zero
As organisations grapple with increasing pressure around climate change, the Governance Institute of Australia has launched a new guide to be used as a roadmap on the path to net zero. The guide outlines key steps — from engaging your board in the climate conversation to managing legal and stakeholder expectations — to ensure climate risk management is built into your organisation’s strategy.
Government reforms on income tax exempt not-for-profits
Federal Government reforms to self-assessed income tax exempt not-for-profit organisations come into effect from 1 July 2023. Jennifer Moltisanti, Assistant Commissioner at the ATO NFP Centre, has addressed key concerns of the reforms and covers questions relating to what is required in the self-review, as well as the reform process itself, offering affected organisations an opportunity to influence the reform design and implementation. Read more.
|