Key reforms to charitable fundraising laws aiming to reinforce public confidence and bolster support for charitable appeals have begun.
From 1 July:
A new maximum five year term for fundraising authority will be introduced to increase oversight of fundraisers as the Department of Customer Service Secretary will be prompted to conduct a compliance review if necessary when the charity’s authority is up for renewal
All authority holders will now be required to submit an annual return to NSW Fair Trading, meaning an annual return will have to be submitted by every authority holder, even if no money was received or no appeal was conducted, within 6 months of the end of the financial year
Charities that raise more than $250,000 annually will have to submit an auditor’s report and annual return
All charities must submit a written statement affirming they are complying with their requirements
Upgraded enforcement powers will increase maximum penalties from $5,500 to $22,000, with Fair Trading inspectors to issue compliance notices and The Department of Customer Service Secretary will have discretion over the time taken to evaluate and approve applications.
Please view the media release below in PDF format:
