Charities

Charity revoked for “abusing position of trust”

Third Sector April 11, 2018

< 1 min read

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has revoked the charity status of Pets Haven Foundation Limited (ABN 60159848772), also known as ‘Pet’s Haven Animal Shelter’.

ACNC Commissioner, Gary Johns, said the animal shelter has been involved in serious misconduct.

“Pets Haven Foundation has abused their position as a trusted charity in the community,” Johns said.

“Revocation is the most serious action we can take when a charity has been mismanaged.

“In most cases we are able to resolve issues with charities without reaching this stage. However, in this instance, we have been left with no choice but to revoke Pets Haven Foundation’s charity status.”

All registered charities must meet the ACNC Governance Standards, which are a set of minimum standards that require charities to operate lawfully and be run responsibly.

Organisations that have their charity status revoked by the ACNC cannot access Commonwealth charity tax concessions, including Deductible Gift Recipient status and Income Tax Exemption. Organisations that have been revoked also must not display the ACNC’s Tick of Charity Registration.

Johns said the ACNC’s approach to regulating charities begins with education and support to help charities to comply with their obligations.

“When we take regulatory action, we carefully consider both the necessity of the action and the risks to involved parties, and ensure the action that we take is proportionate,” Johns said.

Pets Haven Foundation Limited has 60 days to object to the ACNC’s revocation decision. The date of the revocation decision is 9 April 2018 and the effective date is backdated to 3 December 2012.

The ACNC is prevented from disclosing further details about the case due to secrecy provisions in the ACNC Act.