View the latest law and policy updates, resources, webinars, training and news from our sector.
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What's in the January 2026 update?

  • Unlock DGR
  • Law and policy updates: Western Australia: charity fundraising reforms
  • Resources: Disaster resources, and our updated resources
  • Upcoming webinars:
    • Board Inductions for Not-for-profits, 12 February
    • Understanding your Not-for-profit's Constitution, 26 February
    • Managing Member Disputes and Board Conflict, 12 March
    • Privacy Laws in Not-for-profits, 26 March
  • News in our sector: Findings of the independent evaluation of the Department of Social Service's Volunteer Management Activity program, consultation on draft laws concerning Director Identification Numbers, NSW Government delivers a new community services funding agreement, and Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations Corporation survey

Unlock DGR

The current Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) system is holding back thousands of charities from accessing vital funding and support - and that means local communities miss out too. In November last year, we launched our Unlock DGR campaign to call for urgent reform that modernises and simplifies how giving works in Australia.

How you can get involved

Our campaign is gaining momentum, and there are a few ways you can support our push for reform.

Attend our live panel discussion (Melbourne):
If you are in Melbourne, don’t miss out on the event Fixing Australian Philanthropy: Why DGR Reform Matters on 25 February at the Wheeler Centre. Justice Connect’s Clare Ozich will join Grace Adams from Effective Altruism Australia and Ryan Ginard from the Mindaroo Foundation to talk all things DGR, and about how together we can fix the system. Get tickets here.

Share your story:
If you are involved with a charity that is locked out of the benefits of DGR status, we would love to hear from you. We are gathering examples to demonstrate the unfairness of the system. Stories are a powerful motivator for action. Email Campaign Manager, Clare Ozich, at clare.ozich@justiceconnect.org.au.


Subscribe to our mailing list:
The next steps in the campaign will encourage charities to contact their local MPs to seek support for DGR reform. We’ll soon be providing template letters and practical tools to make this as easy as possible. If you haven’t already, subscribe to receive email updates about the next phase and stay involved as the campaign progresses.

Law and policy updates

Western Australia: charity fundraising reforms

The Western Australian parliament has passed the Charitable Collections Amendment Bill 2025 which amends the Charitable Collections Act 1946 to progress the harmonisation of state and territory fundraising laws. The key change that will take effect is that Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) registered charities will be 'deemed' to be licence holders under the Charitable Collections Act once they notify the Commissioner for Consumer Protection in WA (Commissioner). ACNC registered charities can therefore undertake fundraising in WA without having to apply separately for a licence.


The Act was also amended to allow WA's Voluntary Code of Practice to be replaced with the national fundraising principles. The WA government has indicated this will occur in the first half of 2026.

Read more

Resources

Disaster-related resources

We’re thinking of everyone affected by the bushfires and flooding across Australia. We hope you’re safe and getting the support you need during this challenging time. If your not-for-profit has been impacted, our Disaster Legal Toolkit may be able to help your organisation navigate any disaster-related legal issues. We have free, online legal information on issues like managing workers (including employees and volunteers), operational interruptions, insurance, funding, working with others, and other concerns that can arise after a disaster.

Please share this information with anyone who might find it helpful.

We also run customised training sessions for not-for-profit organisations. Speak to our team to find out about how we can customise our Safety, risk and insurance training module for not-for-profit organisations navigating disasters.

Updated resources

Understanding intellectual property laws


We’ve updated our guide to intellectual property laws. Updates include the addition of information on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on intellectual property (IP).

The use of AI by organisations (which may include generating marketing materials, developing new software, or analysing data) can create:

  • legal uncertainty about who owns the final output, and
  • an increased risk of IP infringement

We consider these issues in part 7 of the guide (ownership of IP) and part 8 of the guide (protection and infringement of IP).

Upcoming webinars

Board Inductions for Not-for-profits

📅 Thursday, 12 February
🕒 12:45 - 2pm (AEDT)
💻 Online via Zoom
➡️ Register now

In this popular webinar, we look at the journey of a new board member, what they need to know from pre-appointment to their first meeting, and give you tips on how to improve your own induction process. You’ll walk away with a checklist of what to cover in an induction to set your board up for success.


We'll cover:

  • Why is board induction important, and who is responsible for it?
  • What should happen before appointment of a new board member?
  • What should be covered in a board induction?
  • Checklists for what to think about at each step
Register now

Understanding your Not-for-profit's Constitution

📅 Thursday, 26 February
🕒 12:45 - 2pm (AEDT)
💻 Online via Zoom
➡️ Register now

In this webinar, we step you through the key parts of a not-for-profit's governing document. Using examples and cases, we give you the knowledge and confidence to understand and apply your constitution. We discuss why the governing document is so important and how using it can ensure members have confidence that your not-for-profit is not only compliant, but effective and well-run.


We'll cover:

  • What is the legal status of the constitution?
  • What are the key topics addressed in a not-for-profit’s constitution?
  • Practical tips for understanding and changing your constitution
  • Where to find more resources to help in the future
Register now

Managing Member Disputes and Board Conflict

📅 Thursday, 12 March 
🕒 12:45 - 2pm (AEDT)
💻 Online via Zoom
➡️ Register now

Healthy debate helps not-for-profits thrive, but if a conflict or dispute is preventing your organisation from achieving its goals, you need the tools to handle it effectively.

Understanding the legal processes for handling disputes between members and the committee will help your organisation achieve the best outcome.

In this FREE webinar, you’ll hear about why disputes happen in not-for-profits, how to avoid them, and what the law requires of not-for-profit organisations managing conflict.

We'll cover:

  • What are some common disputes involving members and board members of not-for-profit organisations?
  • Why are these disputes often so damaging?
  • What processes are available to help resolve the dispute?
  • How can your rules/constitution help?
  • Where to go if you need more help to resolve the dispute
  • How can you prevent disputes arising in the first place?
Register now

Privacy Laws in Not-for-profits

📅 Thursday, 26 March 
🕒 12:45 - 2pm (AEDT)
💻 Online via Zoom
➡️ Register now

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale and speed of changes in this area. Media reports on data breaches continue, as do reforms to laws and regulations. Come to this popular webinar to get a privacy law refresher and help keep you and your not-for-profit up to date with the latest.

In this webinar, our lawyers will set out some of the key personal information handling obligations for not-for-profits and provide you with an easy-to-follow framework to help demystify privacy laws.

We’ll bring you up to speed on the privacy reforms with a high-level overview of the most important changes to understand and give you some pointers on key trends in data breach and regulatory priorities for the Office of the Australian Information Commission (OAIC).

We'll cover:

  • The latest on the privacy reforms
  • Current regulatory priorities and most recent data breach observations from the OAIC
  • Which privacy laws might apply to your organisation
  • The 'personal information lifecycle' and some key requirements for collection, use and disclosure of, and storage of personal information
  • Rights of individuals to access and correct data you hold about them
  • How to respond to a data breach
Register now

Customised training

Get on top of governance - start 2026 on the right foot!

It’s the new year! Do you have new board members joining your organisation? Have your existing board members had the training they need to build skills and ensure good governance?

Our Governing a Not-for-profit organisation training module unpacks the essentials of good governance for a not-for-profit organisation. You’ll walk away from our training with a deeper understanding of your board’s collective responsibilities and what you can do to improve the way your not-for-profit is governed. Whether you’re a new board member or you’ve been doing it for a while, there’s always more to learn. Our training is delivered by lawyers and tailored to your organisation.

Make this training one of your new year resolutions!

Here’s what participants have to say:
  • "Well paced, great content, engagingly presented with a high level of interactivity and participation by audience. Excellent session, great presenter."
  • “This training was well presented in a logical sequence with very good handouts.”
  • “Now I’m more aware of my board role and my duties to our organisation.” “ Improved my confidence”
  • “There’s nothing I would change about this training. It was excellent."
Get in touch with our friendly training team to find out more.

News in our sector

Findings of the independent evaluation of the Department of Social Service's Volunteer Management Activity program

The Department of Social Service (DSS) has published a report on the key findings of an independent evaluation of the Volunteer Management Activity (VMA) program, including Not-for-profit Law’s legal support for Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs). Key observations recorded in the report include:

  • The VMA is delivering activities aligned with its objectives, including activities focused on enhancing the capability of Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) to engage and manage volunteers, with opportunities for improvements in the way it is implemented
  • Legal resources under the SLRA, delivered by Justice Connect are well-received and effectively address the legal support needs of VIOs
We are pleased to receive this recognition of our work to support the needs of the volunteering sector. 
Read more

Consultation on draft laws concerning Director Identification Numbers

Have your say on draft laws concerning Australia’s business registers. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Business Registries Stabilisation and Uplift) Bill 2025 proposes significant changes to Australia’s Director Identification Number (DIN) regime. Under the DIN regime, company directors must have a unique, lifelong identifier issued by the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS).

The draft laws propose to:

  • link DINs to ASIC’s Company Register by requiring companies to provide DINs to ASIC
  • give ASIC powers to publish DIN information on the Company Register, enforce penalties for non-compliance, and make directors’ personal details more private, and
  • enable ABRS to share DIN information with ASIC
Submissions in response to the draft laws must be lodged by 10 February 2026.
Read more

NSW Government delivers a new community services funding agreement

The NSW Government has signed a new Community Services Funding Framework, and a complementary Community Service Jobs Compact. 

Read more

Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations Corporation survey

ORIC is running a corporation survey is open until 30 January 2026. If relevant, you can complete the survey.

Read more

 

© 2026 | Justice Connect

Justice Connect, PO BOX 16013 Melbourne VIC


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