Child safety: Mandatory and voluntary reporting obligations
Every Australian state and territory has enacted legislation prescribing both mandatory and…
Legal
Help sheets
Legal requirements for Annual General Meetings
Almost every state Act specifies that an association has to have an AGM once a year (in Tasmania…
Legal structures
You don't have to be part of an organisation to do good work. You can work on the basis of ad hoc…
Overview of your legal responsiblities
Many people approach their role on not-for-profit board more casually than they would a position on…
The laws of an annual report
The following tabs will help you determine what legally needs to go in your annual report.
Articles
What next for not-for-profits? Experts pick the trends leaders must know
Posted on 25 Feb 2022
Australian not-for-profits have the chance to reshape their sector in the wake of covid-19…
Unsocial media: Facebook comments could spell trouble for not-for-profits
Posted on 27 Oct 2021
Not-for-profits are increasingly relying on social media to get their message out, but a recent…
Workplace vaccinations a prickly business
Posted on 25 Aug 2021
The urgency to get Australians vaccinated continues to grow and begs the question for…
What do not-for-profits, zombies and werewolves have in common?
Posted on 06 Jul 2021
When people phone Our Community asking about how to sort out glitches in their meetings, my usual…
Can you force your workers to get vaccinated?
Posted on 14 Jun 2021
As not-for-profits seek to resume COVID-normal service, many organisations will want their staff…
New laws boost portable long service for community sector workers
Posted on 05 Mar 2021
Portable leave entitlements for community sector workers, which allow employees to accumulate long…
Legal experts join the ‘Our Community family’
Posted on 05 Mar 2021
Our Community has forged a new legal partnership with leading law firm Maddocks to cater for the…
Judgement on liability shows horse sense
Posted on 21 May 2020
As part of the Institute of Community Directors’ commitment to encouraging good governance, this…
Pray this never happens to your organisation
Posted on 13 Feb 2020
Confucianism and Taoism are among the world’s great religious and philosophical traditions, and…
Sapphire miners association digs itself into trouble
Posted on 12 Feb 2020
As part of the Institute of Community Directors’ commitment to encouraging good governance, this…
Changes to whistleblower laws: what not-for-profits need to know
Posted on 11 Dec 2019
There's never been a better time for all not-for-profits to review their whistleblower policies and…
Wealthy exec jailed for charity theft
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
In June 2019, top executive Michael Clark from the Adelaide-based charity SYC was sentenced to…
Cyber attack exposes sex health clients, highlights threats to not-for-profits
Posted on 16 Apr 2018
A cyber attack on Family Planning NSW, which exposed the personal information of up to 8000 clients…
Case Watch files
When things go really bad at not-for-profits, often the battles are fought out in the courts, whether they are civil or criminal cases. We know, and hope, it's a last-resort option for organisations, because the legal system and representation is an expensive business that often ends with everyone losing.
At the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA), we answer many questions from organisations who face tricky situations, which if left unresolved, are more than likely headed to the authorities. We've also renewed our efforts to keep track of precedent and landmark cases that could have an impact on your organisation.
Legal trends set to shake the not-for-profit sector
Not-for-profits should brace for court decisions that could shake up the sector if a summary of key…
‘Sham’ foundation worth $2 million pays out nothing in three decades
Court hears a "foundation" which accumulated $2 million in bullion was really a sham set up for tax…
What do not-for-profits, zombies and werewolves have in common?
When people phone Our Community asking about how to sort out glitches in their meetings, my usual…
Wealthy exec jailed for charity theft
In June 2019, top executive Michael Clark from the Adelaide-based charity SYC was sentenced to…
Judgement on liability shows horse sense
As part of the Institute of Community Directors’ commitment to encouraging good governance, this…
Pray this never happens to your organisation
Confucianism and Taoism are among the world’s great religious and philosophical traditions, and…
Sapphire miners association digs itself into trouble
As part of the Institute of Community Directors’ commitment to encouraging good governance, this…
Checklists
Members Only
10 key areas to renew, review and refresh
It's easy to carry on doing the same thing 'because that's the way we do it'. To avoid the pitfalls…
10 steps to a safer organisation
There is no avoiding responsibility or dangerous activities. But what one person considers…
Members Only
Key inclusions for your constitution
To assemble a useful, functional constitution for your organisation, you must know what it should…
Members Only
Making sure your annual report is complete
Once you have completed your annual report, use the following checklist to make sure you haven't…
Members Only
Running a successful Annual General Meeting
Your Annual General Meeting can run smooth as chocolate or rough as peanuts. Here's a checklist to…
Members Only
Ten myths of conflicts of interest
There are plenty of myths and misnomers which surround the concept of conflict of interest. Here…
Members Only
Ten ways to write a 'perfect' constitution
Alright, the "perfect" constitution might be a bad case of hyperbole, but if your constitution…
Policies
Legislative Compliance Policy
The operations of [Name of Organisation] are subject to a wide range of legal requirements,…
Vaccination Policy
Some dangerous epidemic or endemic diseases can be prevented, in whole or in part, by appropriate…
Whistleblower Policy
Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in managing risk and cultivating an ethical culture in a…