COMMUNITY Connections (Victoria) and the Heytesbury Agricultural Society are among south-west groups to lose their charity status.
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The two charities are among 754 Victorian organisations whose charity status was revoked last month by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) after they failed to complete their annual reporting for two consecutive years.
Other south-west organisations that lost their charity status last month were the Camperdown RSL sub-branch, the Garvoc Presbyterian Church, the Noorat and District Village Fun Food N’ Fitness Festival, the 1st Simpson Scout Group committee and the Princetown Landcare committee.
Also on the outer are the Central Hopkins Land Protection Association, the trustee for The South West Community Foundation Open Fund, the Warrnambool and District Pipes and Drums and the Warrnambool College Foundation.
Completing an annual information statement is a requirement to maintaining charity status with the ACNC and access to a variety of Commonwealth charity tax concessions. However organisations that lost their charity status can have it restored by completing their overdue reporting.
ACNC commissioner Susan Pascoe said many of the charities that were revoked were likely to be inactive.
“We assume that many are just not operating any more and have not notified us of that,” Ms Pascoe said.
“Charities that have had their status revoked but are still operating will have their application to re-register with the ACNC fast-tracked once they have lodged any overdue reports,” Ms Pascoe said.
The ACNC said a further 3000 charities from around Australia were facing revocation in early June and urged them to take action immediately.
“If you are still on our double defaulter list and are an active charity, please submit your overdue statements to avoid revocation,” she said.
Ms Pascoe said organisations that needed help submitting their annual information statements could get step-by-step guidance on the ACNC website at acnc.gov.au or by contacting the ACNC by phone or email.
Ms Pascoe said people could check if the charity they were involved with was facing revocation by visiting acnc.gov.au/doubledefaulters
