ACNC taskforce begins community consultation

January 30 marks the beginning of a series of community consultations designed to gain an insight into the values and concerns of nonprofit organisations around the country.

Run by the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC), the rolling feedback sessions will allow members of the community to become involved in the development of the new government department.

Previously the ACNC had released a discussion paper that detailed the likely structure of the organisation and invited readers to submit feedback on the reporting system that it was to deliver.

In addition to a "report once - use often" framework, the commission was aiming to generate debate over the educational services it was to provide to charity organisations across the country.

The feedback generated by this paper has been used to develop further structural guidelines that will help to shape the role and responsibility of the ACNC when it assumes its official duties sometime in 2012.

While the information provided has been useful so far, the community sessions held around the country will also allow applicants to have their concerns about the functionality of the regulatory body to be addressed by officers working for the implementation taskforce.

The opportunity to have question addressed directly by commission official has proved to be quite popular with many Australian charities - some sessions have already been booked out and there have been additional meeting scheduled in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

As its role will be primarily concerned with nonprofit organisations, the ACNC has indicated that a high level of community involvement is sought to deliver the best possible outcome across the board.

While not every charity will be able to send a delegate to attend these meetings, the commission is making an effort to engage with its stakeholders through a range of channels.

These include a dedicated YouTube channel that provides information on the roles played by various government departments - such as the tax office and the treasury - as well as a brief breakdown of the responsibilities of the organisation itself.

A Facebook page has also been supplied with photos and profiles of the prominent taskforce officers, updates on the main website and detailed information about the ACNC's roles and duties - not to mention allowing for public feedback to be received directly.

With the closing date for community submissions set for February 27, charities and nonprofit organisations still have time to have their questions answered and their concerns addressed directly buy the individuals who will be in charge of setting up the commission.