Social license to operate an NFP entity

While The Age article by Louise White ‘CSIRO is tackling corporate trust issue, starting with mining‘ (18/6) is mainly about how mining companies can more effectively engage with communities affected by their proposed developments, it spurred me to have another look at the concept of the ‘social license to operate’ (SLO) as it applies to… Continue reading Social license to operate an NFP entity

Learning from others’ mistakes Part 7 – RSL charities’ enforceable ACNC undertakings

This post updates the status of ACNC compliance action against RSL NSW and RSL LIfecare, previously highlighted in Part 3 of this series on Learning from Others’ Mistakes. An ACNC Media Release issued on 15 May, advises as follows: “The enforceable undertaking between the ACNC and RSL NSW is in response to serious issues the ACNC… Continue reading Learning from others’ mistakes Part 7 – RSL charities’ enforceable ACNC undertakings

Governance of Culture

The AICD consultation paper on their Review of the ‘Good governance principles and guidance for not-for-profit organisations’ was released this week with an invitation to comment by 18 June.  This paper offers a helpful summary of contextual changes since 2013, when the original principles were released, which justify revision at this time. It then outlines… Continue reading Governance of Culture

Maintaining the social licence to operate: 2018 KPMG – AICD Trust Survey

Hard on the heels of the Edelman Trust Barometer report for 2018 (see my post of 21 February – Less trust in NGOs), the report on the 2018 KPMG and AICD Trust Survey Maintaining the social license to operate confirms that Australia, “like many other nations around the world, is facing a crisis of trust in institutions.” With over 30% of… Continue reading Maintaining the social licence to operate: 2018 KPMG – AICD Trust Survey

Learning from others’ mistakes Part 6 – RSL Queensland

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) issued a Direction to RSL Queensland last week detailing actions considered necessary to address breaches of governance standard 5 and financial and operational record-keeping obligations.  The Direction took into account the number of breaches, the serious, complex and persistent nature of governance issues identified, and the ACNC’s concerns… Continue reading Learning from others’ mistakes Part 6 – RSL Queensland

Misuse of public funds says Vic Ombudsman

The Victorian Ombudsman has tabled her report into the misuse of staff budget entitlements during the 2014 State election.  Key points in the wash up from this Inquiry are: 21 Labor MPs breached guidelines for use of Parliamentary funds The scheme saw Labor’s field organisers partially paid as Parliamentary staff Labor has paid back $388,000… Continue reading Misuse of public funds says Vic Ombudsman

Learning from others’ mistakes Part 5 – Codes of Conduct missing key elements

The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) published a report today which asserts that ‘poor corporate culture is linked to weaknesses in codes of conduct and whistleblowing systems’ within ASX200 companies. While the report focuses on large corporations in the for-profit sector, more and more not-for-profit organisations have been aligning their governance standards with ASX Governance expectations… Continue reading Learning from others’ mistakes Part 5 – Codes of Conduct missing key elements

ACNC highlights poor governance concerns

The Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) has released their Charity Compliance Report 2017, covering activity from 1 January – 31 December 2017. This report uses aggregated data and de-identified information to offer insights into the compliance work of the ACNC, and outlines their compliance focus for the year ahead. The ACNC’s media release about… Continue reading ACNC highlights poor governance concerns

Learning from the CPA Australia Independent Review

Some association directors and executives will have followed the unfolding story about CPA Australia quite closely during 2016-17, while others may have only occasionally noted that there was media interest in governance and management arrangements in that organisation. Now that the Final Report of the CPA Australia Independent Review is available, along with the Board’s… Continue reading Learning from the CPA Australia Independent Review