Content updated regularly. Last updated 20 August 2025
Moores’ Charities and Not-for-profit team created this webpage to help organisations monitor the implementation of Australia’s national fundraising principles.
Fundraising in Australia is regulated by State and Territory fundraising legislation and the Australian Consumer Law. Fundraising in Australia is notoriously complex, as each State and Territory has its own unique fundraising legislation and definition of what constitutes ‘fundraising’. Fundraising without the necessary approval may be an offence – both for the organisation and individuals involved.
In February 2023 the Federal Government announced that agreement had been reached about a set of nationally consistent fundraising principles which will be used to streamline and harmonise fundraising requirements in each State and Territory (‘the Principles’).
All States and Territories are in the process of implementing the Principles, including repealing or ‘switching off’ local fundraising rules so that a charity, no matter where it fundraises, will only need to comply with the Principles. The following table sets out the present status for each State and Territory.
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State and Territory Status
Australian Capital Territory
The amendments amended the Charitable Collections Act 2003 (ACT) to:
- create a deemed licence regime for ACNC registered charities – all ACNC registered charities are now deemed to hold a fundraising licence in the ACT. This replaces the previous provisions which exempted ACNC registered charities from holding a collections licence;
- provide that part 4 (other than sections 34 to 38) and part 5 of the Charitable Collections Act do not apply to deemed licences. These parts relate to applying for a collections licence (which is not required for deemed licences), retaining financial records and annual reporting. As the ACNC already places obligations on ACNC registered charities to retain financial records and report annually these requirements were considered to be duplicative and unnecessary;
- clarify the definition of who the licensee is in specific circumstances (e.g. where the licensee is an unincorporated body);
- make compliance with the National Fundraising Principles an automatic condition on a collections licence in the ACT; and
- empower the director-general to amend, suspend or cancel a licence where they are satisfied on reasonable grounds that a breach of the National Fundraising Principles has occurred.
New South Wales
The proposed implementation plan notes that the following action will be taken:
- incorporating the Principles as far as is feasible in the Charitable Fundraising Regulation 2021;
- making the Principles an enforceable condition of holding a charitable fundraising authority in NSW; and
- reviewing the existing standard conditions to identify and remove any outdated, unnecessary or duplicative requirements.
Queensland
| Legislation | Released an implementation plan?
 | Implemented the national fundraising principles?
 | Repealed or switched off all local fundraising laws for charities?
|
Collections Act 1966 (QLD) and
Collections Regulation 2008 (Qld) | QLD released its implementation plan in November 2023, noting it intends to amend the Collections Regulation 2008 (Qld) to apply the
Principles and repeal existing conduct provisions. No timeframe for implementation is provided in the plan. | Draft legislation has not yet been prepared. | No. |
The implementation plan notes that the following action will be taken:
- incorporating the Principles to the extent possible in the current legislation;
- prescribing conduct requirements consistent with the Principles in the Collections Regulation 2008 (Qld) to replace the current conditions; and
- reviewing the existing legislation to address any coverage gaps.
South Australia
| Legislation | Released an implementation plan?
| Implemented the national fundraising principles?
| Repealed or switched off all local fundraising laws for charities?
|
Collections for
Charitable Purposes Act 1939 (SA) | SA has not released a formal implementation plan but has replaced its Charities Code of Practice with the National Fundraising Principles. | Charities in SA have been required to comply with the national fundraising principles from 1 March 2024. | Largely, yes. Some parts of the Collections for Charitable Purposes Act 1939 (SA) still apply to charities. |
The amendments:
- replaced the previous fundraising rules, set out in the South Australia Charities Code of Practice, with the National Fundraising Principles; and
- did not repeal disclosure requirements under the Collections for Charitable Purposes Act 1939 (SA).
Tasmania
Victoria
The amendments amended the Fundraising Regulations 2019 (Vic) to:
- provide that deemed registered fundraisers (being ACNC registered charities) must comply with the National Principles when conducting fundraising appeals (new regulation 9A);
- exempt deemed registered fundraisers from sections 9-12B of the Fundraising Act 1998 (Vic), which relate to identification badges for collectors, collection receptacles, and the disclosure of the dollar amount or percentage for funds received for goods or services that is provided to beneficiaries (new regulation 9B); and
- insert the Principles (new Schedule 2).
The provisions only apply to ‘deemed registered fundraisers’ within the meaning of the Fundraising Act. This means that:
- the provisions only apply to those registered charities who have given notice to the Director of CAV of their intention to conduct a fundraising appeal in Victoria. Registered charities who are registered fundraisers but have not given notice (for example, those that held a fundraising licence prior to August 2020) should consider notifying the CAV through myCAV of their charity registration so as to benefit from the exemption from sections 9-12B of the Fundraising Act; and
- a commercial fundraiser (even if they are engaged by a ‘deemed registered fundraiser’) will not be exempt from sections 9-12B of the Fundraising Act.
Western Australia
| Legislation | Released an implementation plan?
| Implemented the national fundraising principles?
| Repealed or switched off all local fundraising laws for charities
|
| Charitable Collections Act 1946 (WA) | On 7 August 2024, Western Australia released its fundraising implementation plan. No timeframe for implementation is provided in the plan. | The Charitable Collections Amendment Bill 2025 was introduced on 21 May 2025. There is no express commencement date. | No |
The Bill will amend the Charitable Collections Act 1946 (WA), including to:
- provide that an ACNC registered charity will be deemed to hold a fundraising licence on provision of a notice to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection (Commissioner);
- allow conditions to be applied to ensure that a deemed licence is only valid while the holder complies with:
- conduct and reporting obligations applying to its ACNC registration; and
- additional conditions imposed by the Commissioner;
- permit the Commissioner to apply (or remove) conditions to any licence at any time by notice to the holder of the licence; and
- permit the Commissioner to enter information sharing agreements with the ACNC to facilitate the ACNC providing information regarding registrations deemed for the purposes of the Act to the Commissioner at their request.
Further changes are proposed to amend the Charitable Collections Regulations 1947 (WA) to implement the Principles.
Northern Territory
| Legislation | Released an implementation plan?
| Implemented the national fundraising principles?
| Repealed or switched off all local fundraising laws for charities?
|
| The NT does not currently regulate charitable fundraising. | N/A | N/A | N/A |
We can help you
Our Charities and Not-for-Profit team works with organisations of all sizes to navigate the complex and changing fundraising landscape. We can assist with:
- Advising on fundraising compliance across all Australian states and territories, including National Fundraising Principles implementation.
- Interpreting and applying law changes so you understand what they mean for your organisation in practical terms.
- Reviewing fundraising policies, procedures, and appeal materials to ensure they meet current legal requirements.
- Providing training and updates for boards and staff on fundraising obligations and best practice.
- Supporting multi-jurisdictional campaigns, helping you streamline compliance where rules differ.
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