3.7. ACNC

Australian Charity & Not for Profit Commission (ACNC) established governance standards supporting registered charities in fulfilling their objectives by providing a minimum level of assurance that they meet community expectations in relation to how a charity should be managed. By adopting the ACNC Governance standards as the key components for Surf Life Saving in Queensland governance standards, SLSQ has reduced compliance complexity for Surf Life Saving, as being registered charities, these legislated standards are already binding on our organisations.

Background

Community expectations in relation to governance may include how a charity goes about managing its affairs, the use of public monies, volunteer time and donations provided to it, how the charity manages the risks that it faces, how it promotes effective and responsible use of its resources and how the charity goes about demonstrating that it is operating transparently and for a proper purpose.

The ACNC sees the steps a charity will need to take to comply with the governance standards will vary according to its particular circumstances, such as its size, the sources of its funding, the nature of its activities and the needs of the public (including members, donors, employees, volunteers and benefit recipients of the charity).

The ACNC is the national register of charities and was established to:

• maintain, protect and enhance public trust and confidence in the Australian not-for-profit sector
• support and sustain a robust, vibrant, independent and innovative not-for-profit sector
• promote the reduction of unnecessary regulatory obligations on the sector.

Refer to SLSQ Governance Manual for more information and https://www.acnc.gov.au/