Law and policy updates Temporary exemptions for charities using fixed term contracts expire on 31 October
Nearly two years ago, the government introduced changes to workplace laws to limit the use of fixed term employment contracts, with narrow exceptions available for certain government funded roles. Temporary exemptions introduced from 1 November 2024, including one for registered charities, will expire on 31 October 2025. Your charity may be affected if it has been relying on this exemption. Read our summary for more information. Another organisation’s copyright
Has your organisation received a letter of demand alleging that you have infringed another organisation’s copyright? If you have, you’re not alone. Not-for-profit Law’s Advice team has seen a rise in not-for-profits receiving formulaic demand letters from third-party organisations, which act like debt collectors. Read our summary to find out steps to take, and what else you need to be aware of. NFP self-review returns are due by 31 October
If your not-for-profit organisation has an active Australian business number (ABN) and has been self-assessing as income tax exempt, you need to lodge an NFP self-review return with the ATO by 31 October. Penalties may apply if you miss the deadline. You can lodge the return online, via the self-help phone service on 13 72 26, or through a registered tax agent. The ATO has guidance to help: Right to disconnect
The right to disconnect is the right of an employee to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact (or attempted contact) outside their working hours, unless doing so is unreasonable. From 26 August 2025, this right applies to employees of small business. A small business employer is an employer with fewer than 15 employees at a particular time. The right to disconnect has applied to employees of non-small business employers since 26 August 2024. A non-small business employer is an employer with 15 or more employees at a particular time. Child safety law reform
On 15 August 2025, Attorneys-General across Australia agreed to urgent actions to address systemic gaps in Working with Children Checks (WWCCs), including to deliver a national approach in the implementation of these checks. Significant reforms to state and territory legislation are expected. Victoria: The Victorian parliament has already made changes to the Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic) to strengthen protections of the WWCC in Victoria. These changes include recognising a Working with Children exclusion issued in another state or territory as an automatic exclusion under Victoria’s scheme, expanding Working with Children Check suspension powers, cancelling clearances granted in certain circumstances and expanding the limitation period to prosecute the offence of providing false or misleading information. Further reforms are expected by the end of the year. Read more. Queensland: In Queensland, changes to the blue card system are being introduced through a phased approach which began on 1 July 2025. These changes include new types of child-related work or services will require a blue card, new and standardised exemptions, a simpler decision-making framework for issuing blue cards, and broader abilities to immediately suspend a person’s blue card where they pose a risk to the safety of children. Read more. The Queensland Government has also announced that the early childhood education and care sector will now be required to implement a Reportable Conduct Scheme from 1 July 2026 (this was previously legislated as 1 July 2027). Read more. Western Australia: incorporated associations and co-operatives
The Western Australian parliament has passed the Associations and Co-operatives Legislation Amendment Act 2025. Key changes to incorporated associations and co-operatives operating in Western Australia under this Act include: - allowing electronic meetings to be conducted, unless individual rules state differently
- granting new powers to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection to cancel an association's incorporation when in the public interest and to manage its winding-up
- allowing associations to reserve a name for up to three months when seeking incorporated status or undergoing a name change
- limiting disclosure of personal information in member registers in certain situations, including when safety is a concern
- enabling associations to appoint auditors for a set duration
- access to small business restructuring provisions under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) to provide an alternative to winding-up in cases of financial difficulty
- improved access to the State Administrative Tribunal for members appealing expulsion, and
- allowing electronic signing and clearer proxy voting rules for general meetings in the Co-operatives Act 2009
Some of the provisions in the Act will come into operation on a date to be announced, but the remainder of the Act came into operation since it received Royal Assent on 22 August 2025. |
