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This Commissioner’s Policy Statement is issued under the authority of the Commissioner and should be read together with the ACNC Policy Framework, which sets out the scope, context and definitions common to our policies.

Policy Statement

This Commissioner’s Policy Statement explains the ACNC’s approach to interpreting the ACNC Governance Standards as they apply to charities with only one Responsible Person, or fewer Responsible People than are required for their legal structure or to comply with the requirements set out in their governing documents.

The ACNC has based this policy statement on the objects of the ACNC Act and our Regulatory Approach.

This policy should be read alongside the ACNC Governance Standards.

Principles

  • Principle 1: Charities are expected to maintain the minimum number of Responsible People required for their legal structure and as stated in their governing documents
  • Principle 2: Having more than one Responsible Person supports good governance
  • Principle 3: Perceived or actual conflicts of interest must be managed appropriately

Context

  1. To understand the principles outlined in this policy it is important to understand the responsibilities involved in governing a charity. These include the requirements to meet the Governance Standards and the role of Responsible People. This section explains these principles relate to this policy.
  2. The ACNC Governance Standards are a set of requirements that all registered charities must meet. The Standards require charities to retain their charitable character, operate lawfully, and operate in an accountable and responsible way. Charities must meet the Governance Standards, and External Conduct Standards if appropriate, to be registered and remain registered with the ACNC.
  3. A charity that meets the definition of 'Basic Religious Charity' under s205-35 of the ACNC Act does not need to comply with the Governance Standards.
  4. The responsible entities for a charity are the people who are responsible for the decision-making, day-to-day management and compliance of a registered charity. In practice, the ACNC refers to responsible entities of a charity as ‘Responsible People’. The policy will therefore use the term ‘Responsible People’.
  5. The following people will be Responsible People of a charity:
    • If the charity is a trust, the individuals occupying the position of trustee are its Responsible People. If the trustee is a company rather than a natural person, the directors of the trustee company are the trust’s Responsible People.
    • If the charity is a company (either limited by guarantee or limited by shares), the directors of the company are its Responsible People.
    • If the charity is an Indigenous corporation incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth), the directors of the corporation are its Responsible People.
    • If the charity is an association incorporated under state or territory legislation, the members of the charity’s committee or board of management are its Responsible People.
    • If the charity is a co-operative, the persons who act in the positions of director or board member, whether they are formally appointed to such positions, are its Responsible People.
    • If the charity is an unincorporated association, the persons who the members have agreed or recognised will be responsible for the day-to-day management and decision-making are its Responsible People. This will be determined by considering the association’s governing documents and the practices its members have accepted.
  6. The ACNC may also recognise that a person who does not occupy one of the positions listed above is nevertheless a Responsible Person of a charity, if that person is responsible for the charity’s day-to-day management and decision-making in practice.
  7. When applying for registration, a charity is required to provide details of each of its Responsible People. A registered charity has an ongoing obligation to notify the ACNC when its Responsible People change.
  8. The ACNC Act does not mandate that a charity have a minimum number of Responsible People. However, the ACNC takes the view that, in general, having more than one Responsible Person supports good governance through increased transparency and accountability.
  9. Accordingly, to determine if an applicant for registration, or a registered charity is compliant with the ACNC Governance Standards in circumstances where it has just one Responsible Person, the ACNC may require further evidence and information, for example evidence of financial controls, how conflicts of interest are managed, or decisions are made on any remuneration to related parties including Responsible People.

Principle 1: Charities are required to maintain the minimum number of Responsible People for their legal structure and as stated in their governing documents

  1. The legislation that governs a charity’s legal structure may specify a minimum number of Responsible People that the charity must have. The ACNC expects registered charities to comply with any applicable legislative requirement regarding the minimum number of Responsible People it must have, as compliance with legal requirements is an important aspect of good governance.
  2. The legislation governing state and territory incorporated associations may also specify a minimum number of Responsible People. Charities incorporated as associations in a state or territory are expected to be aware of any minimum number of Responsible People specified in the legislation governing their legal structure, and to ensure that they maintain at least that number of Responsible People.
  3. Charities that adopt the public company limited by guarantee (CLG) legal structure are required to have at least three directors under section 201A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
  4. The ACNC expects CLGs that are registered as charities with the ACNC to remain compliant with the requirement to have at least three Responsible People, and to keep the details of their Responsible People up to date. If the ACNC finds that a registered charity does not meet this requirement, the ACNC may refer the matter to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for investigation.
  5. Even if there is no minimum number of Responsible People specified in legislation that applies to a charity, the charity’s own governing document may require its committee/board of management to be made up of a certain number of members. The ACNC expects registered charities to comply with all requirements in their governing documents, including requirements relating to minimum numbers of Responsible People.

Principle 2: Having more than one Responsible Person supports good governance

  1. If a charity has only one Responsible Person, that person will not be able to make decisions about which they have a perceived or actual material conflict of interest without breaching their duty to act in the best interests of the charity, free from the influence of their own personal interest. This is likely to make it difficult for the Responsible Person to manage conflicts of interest and may be detrimental to the charity’s ability to pursue its purposes.
  2. Furthermore, if a charity has only one Responsible Person, it is likely to fall into difficulty if that Responsible Person is unable to carry out their duties; for example, if the Responsible Person falls seriously ill.
  3. The ACNC takes the view that having more than one Responsible Person brings diverse skills and contributes to overall good governance.
  4. Where new applications for registration are received from organisations with a sole Responsible Person, the ACNC is likely to request additional information to ensure that the organisation has adequate policies and procedures in place to demonstrate that it can manage conflicts of interest and meet the Governance Standards.
  5. Where a currently registered charity with the ACNC has a sole Responsible Person, the ACNC may request such information to enable the charity to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the ACNC Governance Standards.
  6. A charity registered with the ACNC has a duty to notify the Commissioner if they have significantly contravened or not complied with the ACNC Act or a Governance Standard or External Conduct Standard.

Principle 3: Perceived or actual conflicts of interest must be managed appropriately

  1. Conflict of interest occurs when a person's personal interests conflict with their responsibility to act in the best interests of the charity. A conflict of interest may be actual, potential or perceived and may be financial or non-financial.
  2. Conflicts of interest are common. However, if a conflict of interest isn’t managed properly, it may damage a charity’s reputation and, in serious cases, even breach the law.
  3. As set out above, the ACNC may require a registered charity with a sole Responsible Person to provide additional information to demonstrate due diligence in relation to managing conflicts of interest.
  4. Governance Standard 5 requires a perceived or actual material conflict of interest to be disclosed. A Responsible Person must disclose the conflict to other Responsible People of the charity (if any). If a company only has one Director, they must disclose the conflict to members of the company. For charities without members, or with members who share the conflict with the sole Responsible Person, the conflict must be disclosed to the ACNC in the approved form, and the charity must ensure that any perceived or actual material conflicts of interest are managed appropriately. The information required is set out in the approved form (ACNC Form 3D).

References

Version Date of effect Brief summary of change
Version 1 - Initial policy 22/1/2019 Initial policy endorsed by the Commissioner on 22 January 2019.
Version 2 - updated policy 4/10/2021 Minor wording changes and updating accessibility for the website.