Repeated Actions
Important compliance information for school P&Fs
For: Principals
Due: Now
Contact: Mark Rix (pandf@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Second notice
As advised in the Gateway News message (Term 2, Week 9 – 24 June 2025), a new item has been added to the CEDoW assurance testing program in 2026: Parent and Friends (P&F) financial accounts. Ensuring each P&F fund has had its annual accounts audited and submitted to the CEO will be one of the key areas covered as part of this testing.
Actions: There are a number of other compliance requirements for school P&Fs that will be components of the 2026 assurance testing program. These requirements are:
- Each school P&F needs to have its own Australian Business Number (ABN).
- If it hasn't already done so, each school P&F is required to register with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Registering with the ACNC means that P&Fs will not need to self-assess for income tax exemption purposes, and ACNC-registered charities are automatically eligible for an authority to fundraise in NSW. Also, P&Fs that are registered with the ACNC do not have to report to NSW Fair Trading.
If your school’s P&F has not been registered with the ACNC, it can be done here. Once registered, the school P&F is required to lodge its most recent Annual Information Statement to the ACNC.
- The names and contact details for each school’s P&F office holders need to be provided. This can be done via this Google Form. The form includes a section to upload the school’s P&F Constitution.
- As mentioned in the June Gateway News message, at the end of each year, each school is required to share with the CEO its P&F audited accounts from that school year (e.g., the 2025 audited accounts are due in December 2025). Thank you to the schools who responded to the request for copies of their school’s P&F's financial audits. If your school’s P&F audited report has not yet been submitted, please send it to pandf@dow.catholic.edu.au, ‘Attention Mark Rix’. If your school’s P&F is finding it challenging to locate an auditor to undertake a financial audit, please email ‘Attention Mark Rix’ at pandf@dow.catholic.edu.au.
- School P&Fs are required to keep accounting records relating to fundraising for at least seven years.
We understand that it can be difficult to stay up-to-date with the compliance obligations of P&Fs. To help, some opt-in Zoom Q&A sessions will be provided during Term 3 and Term 4 for any principals, SSSOs, or school P&F office holders who would like to learn more about P&F governance. Dates for these sessions will be advertised in upcoming Gateway News messages.
We are also building a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page which will be loaded in Gateway. In the meantime, this simple Compliance Checklist might be helpful.
These links might also be useful:
- ABN Look up
- Applying for a charity registration
- Changes to charitable fundraising laws
- ACNC website
- Video (and transcript): Helping P&Fs with ACNC requirements
Thanks so much for your support. If you need help, please contact Mark Rix at pandf@dow.catholic.edu.au or mobile 0417 442 018.
AWE HUNTERS 2025: A Faith Encounter in Nature
For: Secondary Principals, RECs/Leaders of Mission, Year 10 Coordinators
Due: Now
Contact: David Gearin (gearind01@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Third notice
Year 10 Immersion | AWE HUNTERS: A Faith Encounter in Nature | 14–15 October 2025 – The Tops, Stanwell Park.
Action: Principals and RECs/Leaders of Mission – please ensure this information is shared and discussed with your Year 10 Coordinators.
Secondary schools are invited to nominate up to four male Year 10 students to participate in this year’s Awe Hunters Immersion.
For further details, please refer to the letter here from Jo Kenny, which outlines how to identify and register suitable students. The letter also includes draft communications and permission notes for parents and guardians.
To gain an insight into the experience, we encourage you to watch the promotional video created from last year’s immersion.
A direct link for parents/guardians to register students can be found here.
A direct link to draft comms/permission notes for parents/guardians is here.
Action: Please email Helen Moon at moonh01@dow.catholic.edu.au by Friday 5 September 2025, providing the name and email address of the teacher who will be responsible for selecting students from your school.
For any questions or further information, please contact David Gearin on 0402 018 162.