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The establishment of an independent national charities regulator was first seriously proposed through a Howard Government review of the definition of charity in 2001, and has since been supported by many, including the Productivity Commission, the Henry Review and Senate Inquiries involving hundreds of submissions and numerous public hearings.

The launch of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission in 2012 was a major step forward in creating a regulatory environment that works for the not-for-profit sector rather than against it. In little over one year of operation, the ACNC has built a strong positive reputation by establishing the first public national register of charities, registering more than 2,600 new charities, responding to over 70,000 requests for information from charities and the broader community, investigating and resolving over 200 complaints against charities, and monitoring the extent of red tape and level of public trust and confidence in our charities. The ACNC has done what few new regulators achieve – gained widespread support across the sector it is regulating.