Upcoming events

CLAANZ 2021 conference: Government and the Sector

5 August 2021 – Melbourne, online and with nodes in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, and Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in New Zealand

COVID 19 update: Given the current lockdown in Sydney, the continuing pandemic restrictions in Melbourne and the general uncertainty all over Australia, the CLAANZ board has made the difficult decision to run the conference fully online in Australia. This means there will be no in person participation in any of our Australian nodes (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth).

CLAANZ is reinstating its annual conference on 5 August 2021. The main venue will be in Melbourne, but with virtual attendance possible and with physical nodes in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in Australia, and in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in New Zealand. The theme is broadly conceived and covers matters such as regulation, administrative law, tax, the government and charity boundary, outsourcing and political advocacy. The physical venues are generously being made available for the conference by Corrs Chambers Westgarth in each of the Australian cities, and by Chapman Tripp (in Auckland and Wellington) and Parry Field (in Christchurch). Find out more here.

The CLAANZ conference will be followed by the ACNC Regulator day on 6 August.

CLAANZ Annual Public Lecture

Date and Time: Early 2021

NO REGISTRATION FEE

The CLAANZ annual public lecture will move online in 2020. Plans are for the lecture to be delivered later in the year, and to include an interactive component that will allow members and friends to engage with the presenter. We are in discussions with a leading international academic expert on charity law and regulation about giving the lecture and will have more information to share soon.

Past events

NFP Researcher Network - Research Engagement Panel Discussion

23 June 2021

For academics who are members, the NFP Researcher Network (sponsored by CLAANZ and ANZTSR and ACNC) held a panel discussion on tips for research engagement.

CLAANZ online seminar on illegal activities

Tuesday 9 March 2021

CLAANZ is delighted to invite you to a webinar dealing with the current proposal to amend the ACNC regulations in respect of illegal activities. Hear from sector leaders and experts about this important and topical issue. Speakers will include Tim Costello, Myles McGregor-Lowndes, Murray Baird, and Murray Wesson. Find out more

CLAANZ End of Year Celebratory Event

17 December 2020

CLAANZ marked two significant events for the Charity and NFP sector: the retirement of Professor Fiona Martin from her academic position at UNSW, and celebrated the publication of Professor Ann O’Connell’s landmark book, Taxation of Charities and Not-for-Profits. Find out more.

CLAANZ webinar: Marilyn Warren AC QC in conversation with Jennifer Batrouney AM QC

Wednesday 2 December

The Hon Marilyn Warren AC QC, in conversation with Jennifer Batrouney AM QC, discussed her experiences with charity law in practice and on the bench, and some of the key questions for Australian charity law today.

Find out more.

Charity Law, Accounting, and Regulation Conference 2020:

Responding to COVID-19 – how might we #buildbackbetter?

Online conference

Wednesday 4 November 2020

This half day webinar will have a special focus on the sector in New Zealand, and an emphasis on how to rebuild the sector after the pandemic and its aftermath. Find out more here.

Webinar: Charity Advocacy: Recent Developments

Thursday 1 October 2020

The New Zealand Court of Appeal recently handed down its judgment in the case of Family First New Zealand v Attorney-General. This case raises important questions relating to the legal treatment of political advocacy and the law of public benefit in New Zealand. CLAANZ recently intervened in the New Zealand Court of Appeal case, Family First of New Zealand v Attorney-General. The case was heard in October last year, and a CLAANZ team of consisting of Kate Davenport QC, Jennifer Batrouney AM QC, Professor Matthew Harding, and Sue Barker, prepared the CLAANZ submissions and then presented oral arguments in Court. Find out more here.

Webinar: Charity Law and Charities: Responding to Crises

Thursday 30 July

The years 2019 to 2020 have seen a series of crises, from bushfires in Australia and mosque shootings in New Zealand to the COVID-19 global pandemic. These crises pose challenges for charities and for charity law. This webinar engages with some of those key challenges through a series of short presentations arranged in two parts: (1) Crises and Fundraising: The Questions Not Asked in the Celeste Barber/New South Wales Rural Fire Service Case; (2) Operational Challenges in Crises. Find out more here

2019 CLAANZ Annual Public Lecture

Faith, hope, and charity – religion as a public benefit in modern Australia

Presented by the Hon Justice Sarah Derrington

28 November 2019, Melbourne Law School

This year the CLAANZ annual public lecture was delivered by the Hon Justice Sarah Derrington, the President of the Australian Law Reform Commission. The lecture was held at Melbourne Law School. Justice Sarah Derrington is the President of the Australian Law Reform Commission. Find out more here.

Public Benefit conference

29 November 2019, Melbourne Law School

The Melbourne Law School held a major international conference on 'Exploring Public Benefit in Charity Law' . Speakers included Professor Matthew Harding, Professor Debra Morris, Associate Professor Mary Synge, Professor Adam Parachin, Professor Henry Ergas AO, The Hon Dyson Heydon AC QC, Professor Pauline Ridge and Jennifer Batrouney QC. The conference programme can be viewed here.

2019 CLAANZ conference, Melbourne

Why and How We Value the Charity Sector

1 August 2019

The 2019 CLAANZ Conference, Why and How We Value the Charity Sector, will be held in Melbourne on Thursday 1 August 2018. The conference will be at the Woodward Conference Centre at the University of Melbourne, followed by a dinner also at the Woodward Conference Centre. Find out more here.

2019 New Zealand CLAANZ conference

The Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (CLAANZ), in conjunction with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and supported by DIA Charities Services hosted Future prospects for charity law, accounting, and regulation conference in Wellington, New Zealand on 11 and 12 April 2019. Find out more here.

Regulation and the Contemporary Not-for-profit: A Summit

Featuring CLAANZ Annual Keynote Lecture by the Hon Robert French AC

Monday 26 November 2018

In this inaugural NFP UWA Research Group symposium, industry and academics convened to consider the regulatory framework impacting NFPs and charities. The summit involved presentations and roundtables, including the inaugural Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (CLAANZ) annual keynote lecture, which was delivered by the Hon Robert French AC.

New NFPs UWA Report: Regulation of the Contemporary Not-for-profit
Commissioned by the Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, supported by the UWA Public Policy Institute and UWA Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education, the report synthesises and analyses themes from discussions and presentations at a recent summit on NFP regulation. The summit included the inaugural CLAANZ keynote lecture by the Hon Robert French AC. Key themes are the need for a national scheme for NFP regulation, need for red tape reduction and need to focus the ACNC’s second object on supporting the sector.
The report can be downloaded here and further information about NFPs UWA is available here.

2018 CLAANZ Conference

The 2018 CLAANZ Conference, Charity Law: What does the future hold?, was held in Melbourne on Thursday 2 August 2018 at the Woodward Conference Centre at the University of Melbourne, followed by a dinner also at the Woodward Conference Centre. On 3 August, the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) kindly invited conference delegates to join them for a day of discussions on charity regulation. Find out more here.

2018 New Zealand CLAANZ Conference

The Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (CLAANZ), in conjunction with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)and Parry Field, hosted Perspectives on Charities Law and Regulation in New Zealand conference in Wellington, New Zealand on 26 and 27 April 2018. Find out more here.