{"id":"F2024L00665","name":"Fair Work (Registered Organisations), Reporting Guidelines for the Purposes of Section 253 – Sixth Edition","slug":"fair-work-registered-organisations-reporting-guidelines-for-the-purposes-of-section-253-sixth-editio","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442414,"registerId":"F2024L00665-fast-fetch-1775957431846","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Fair Work (Registered Organisations), Reporting Guidelines for the Purposes of Section 253 – Sixth Edition","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nFair Work (Registered Organisations), (Reporting guidelines for the purposes of section 253 – sixth edition), Instrument, 2024\n\nI, Murray Furlong, General Manager of the Fair Work Commission, make the following legislative instrument.\n\nDated 11 June 2024  \n\n![Signature ](image.002.png)  \n\nMurray Furlong\n\nGeneral Manager\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n| Publication history: |  |\n| --- | --- |\n| First edition | 20 June 2003 |\n| Second edition | 12 October 2004 |\n| Third edition | 26 June 2013 |\n| Fourth edition | 13 June 2014 |\n| Fifth edition | 4 May 2018 |\n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Schedules\n\n6  Reporting guidelines for the purposes of section 253 – sixth edition\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nReporting guidelines for the purposes of section 253 – fifth edition\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the FAIR WORK (REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS), REPORTING GUIDELINES FOR THE PURPOSES OF SECTION 253 – SIXTH EDITION.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences on the day after this instrument is registered.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 255 of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009.\n\n4  Definitions\n\nIn this instrument:\n\nAct means the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009.\n\n5  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\n6  Reporting guidelines for the purposes of section 253 – sixth edition\n\nApplication\n\n(1)    These reporting guidelines apply to all general purpose financial reports (GPFR), including a concise financial report, of a reporting unit as defined in section 242 of the Act, except where the General Manager of the Fair Work Commission (the General Manager) has issued a certificate under subsection 270(1) to the reporting unit for that financial year. Separate reporting guidelines made under section 255 of the Act for purposes of section 270 apply to a GPFR of a reporting unit in relation to the financial year for which a certificate has been issued under subsection 270(1) is a subsection of a section.\n\n(2)    In the event of a conflict between a requirement of these reporting guidelines and a requirement of an Australian Accounting Standard, the requirement of the Standard prevails unless there has been a determination under section 241 of the Act that the Standard or the relevant part of the Standard does not apply in relation to an organisation or a class of organisation.\n\nOperative date\n\n(3)    These reporting guidelines apply to each financial year of a reporting unit that begins on or after commencement.\n\nPurpose of reporting guidelines\n\n(4)    These reporting guidelines apply for the purposes of section 253 of the Act.\n\n(5)    Under subsection 253(1) of the Act a reporting unit is required to have a GPFR prepared. The GPFR must be prepared in accordance with the Australian Accounting Standards. These reporting guidelines prescribe disclosure requirements in addition to those prescribed by Australian Accounting Standards having in mind the nature of organisations registered under the Act.\n\n(6)    The disclosure requirements prescribed by these reporting guidelines are directed towards providing members of a reporting unit with information to enable them to gauge the performance of the committee of management and other holders of office in relation to the financial management of the reporting unit. In addition, the reporting guidelines seek to improve the quality of information available to users of the GPFR about the reporting unit’s economic support of, or economic dependency on, other reporting units of the organisation and other entities.\n\nGeneral requirements for presentation and disclosures in GPFR\n\n(7)    It is a requirement that all reporting units apply the Tier 1 reporting requirements as per the Australian Accounting Standard AASB 1053 Application of Tiers of Australian Accounting Standards.\n\n(8)    The reporting unit must disclose in the notes to the financial statements the notice required by subsection 272(5) of the Act drawing attention to subsections (1), (2) and (3) of section 272 and setting out those subsections.\n\n(9)    Where a reporting unit’s ability to continue as a going concern is reliant on the agreed financial support of another reporting unit(s) this must be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. The reporting unit must disclose:\n\n(a)    the name of the reporting unit(s) from which the agreed financial support is derived; and\n\n(b)    the terms and conditions attached to this agreed financial support.\n\n(10)  Where a reporting unit has agreed to provide financial support to ensure another reporting unit(s) has the ability to continue as a going concern this must be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. The reporting unit must disclose:\n\n(a)    the name of the reporting unit(s) to which the agreed financial support is directed;\n\n(b)    the terms and conditions attached to this financial support.\n\n(11)  Where a reporting unit acquires an asset or a liability during the financial year as a result of:\n\n(a)    an amalgamation under Part 2 of Chapter 3, of the Act in which the organisation (of which the reporting unit forms part) was the amalgamated organisation; or\n\n(b)    a restructure of the branches of the organisation; or\n\n(c)    a determination by the General Manager under subsection 245(1) of the Act of an alternative reporting structure for the organisation; or\n\n(d)    a revocation by the General Manager under subsection 249(1) of the Act of a certificate issued to an organisation under subsection 245(1),\n\nthe reporting unit must disclose in the notes to the financial statements in respect of each such asset or class of assets or each such liability or class of liabilities:\n\n(e)    the date acquired;\n\n(f)     a description; and\n\n(g)    the name of the entity (including a reporting unit of the organisation or that of another organisation) from which it was acquired.\n\nStatement of comprehensive income\n\nRevenue\n\n(12)  Total amounts for the following items of revenue must be disclosed either in the notes to the financial statements or on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards:\n\n(a)    membership subscriptions (i.e. fees in respect of membership of the organisation);\n\n(b)    where the reporting unit receives capitation fees (or equivalent terminology referred to in the organisations rules e.g. sustentation fees) or any other revenue amount from another reporting unit:\n\n(i)      the description of each item of revenue;\n\n(ii)      the amount from each reporting unit; and\n\n(iii)      the name of each such reporting unit;\n\nNote: when a disclosure under this item overlaps with the requirements of AASB 124 Related Party Disclosures this information only needs to be included once in the Notes to the financial statements.\n\n(c)    where compulsory levies or voluntary contributions (including whip arounds) are raised from the members for the furtherance of a particular purpose:\n\n(i)      a brief description of the purpose of each such levy or appeal; and\n\n(ii)      the amount;\n\n(d)    donations or grants (other than voluntary contributions referred to in subparagraph (c)); and\n\n(e)    any revenue derived from undertaking recovery of wages activity.\n\nExpense\n\n(13)  Total amounts for the following items of expenditure must be disclosed either in the notes to the financial statements or on the face of the statement of comprehensive income, in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards:\n\n(a)    amount paid to employers for making payroll deductions of membership subscriptions;\n\n(b)    where the reporting unit has paid a capitation fee (or equivalent terminology referred to in the organisations rules e.g. sustentation fees) or any other expense to another reporting unit:\n\n(i)      the description of each item of expenditure;\n\n(ii)      the amount paid to each reporting unit; and\n\n(iii)      the name of each such reporting unit;\n\nNote: when a disclosure under this item overlaps with the requirements of AASB 124 Related Party Disclosures this information only needs to be included once in the Notes to the financial statements.\n\n(c)    where fees/periodic subscriptions are paid in respect of its affiliation to any political party, any federation, congress, council or group of organisations, or any international body having an interest in industrial matters:\n\n(i)      the amount paid to each entity; and\n\n(ii)      the name of each entity to which monies were paid;\n\n(d)    where compulsory levies have been imposed on the reporting unit by another reporting unit or other entity, for each such levy:\n\n(i)      a brief description of purpose;\n\n(ii)      the amount; and\n\n(iii)      the name of the other reporting unit or entity imposing the levy;\n\n(e)    where grants or donations have been expensed:\n\n(i)      the total amount of grants that were $1,000 or less;\n\n(ii)      the total amount of grants that exceeded $1,000;\n\n(iii)      the total amount of donations that were $1,000 or less; and\n\n(iv)      the total amount of donations that exceeded $1,000;\n\nGrants and donations that exceed $1,000 must be separately disclosed in a statement lodged with the Fair Work Commission in accordance with section 237 of the Act[[1]](#_ftn1)\n\n(f)     employee expenses related to holders of office of the reporting unit by each of the following categories:\n\n(i)      wages and salaries;\n\n(ii)      superannuation;\n\n(iii)      leave and other entitlements;\n\n(iv)      separation and redundancy; and\n\n(v)      other employee expenses (specify if material);\n\n(g)    employee expenses related to employees (other than holders of offices) of the reporting unit by each of the following categories:\n\n(i)      wages and salaries;\n\n(ii)      superannuation;\n\n(iii)      leave and other entitlements;\n\n(iv)      separation and redundancy; and\n\n(v)      other employee expenses (specify if material);\n\n(h)    fees and/or allowances (excluding any employee expenses already included in an amount referred to in subparagraphs (f) or (g)) paid to persons in respect of their attendances as representatives of the reporting unit at conferences or other meetings;\n\n(i)     expenses (other than expenses included in an amount referred to elsewhere in this paragraph) incurred in connection with holding meetings, as required under the rules of the organisation, which the reporting unit was wholly or partly responsible;\n\n(j)     legal costs and other expenses related to:\n\n(i)      litigation; and\n\n(ii)      other legal costs; and\n\n(k)    penalties imposed on the organisation under the Act and the Fair Work Act 2009.\n\nStatement of financial position\n\n(14)  Where an item is disclosed on the face of the statement of financial position as:\n\n(a)    a receivable; or\n\n(b)    a payable; and\n\n(c)    the item has been derived as a result of one or more transactions and/or other past events with another reporting unit of the organisation,\n\nthe following additional disclosures must be made in the notes to the financial statements about the item:\n\n(d)    the name of the other reporting unit; and\n\n(e)    the amount attributable to the other reporting unit.\n\nLiabilities\n\n(15)  Balances for the following items must be disclosed either in the notes to the financial statements or on the face of the statement of financial position, in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards:\n\n(a)    payables to employers for making payroll deductions of membership subscriptions;\n\n(b)    payables in respect of legal costs and other expenses related to:\n\n(i)      litigation; and\n\n(ii)      other legal costs;\n\n(c)    employee provisions in respect of holders of offices in the reporting unit by:\n\n(i)      annual leave;\n\n(ii)      long service leave;\n\n(iii)      separation and redundancy;\n\n(iv)      other employee provisions; and\n\n(d)    employee provisions in respect of employees (other than holders of offices) of the reporting unit by:\n\n(i)      annual leave;\n\n(ii)      long service leave;\n\n(iii)      separation and redundancy; and\n\n(iv)      other employee provisions.\n\nStatement of changes in equity\n\n(16)  Balances for the following items must be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements or on the face of the statement of financial position or statement of changes in equity in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards:\n\n(a)    each fund or accounting operating:\n\n(i)      in respect of compulsory levies raised or voluntary contributions collected: or\n\n(ii)      that is required by the rules of the organisation including the rules of a branch of the organisation;\n\n(b)    in respect of any transfers to and/or withdrawals from any fund or account mentioned in (a) above:\n\n(i)      the name of the fund, account or controlled entity;\n\n(ii)      the amount transferred or withdrawn;\n\n(c)    where monies from a fund or account mentioned in (a) above have been invested in any asset(s):\n\n(i)      the name of the fund or account from which the monies were invested; and\n\n(ii)      the value of those asset(s) and\n\n(d)    the balance of the general fund.\n\nStatement of cash flows\n\n(17)  Where another reporting unit and/or controlled entity of the organisation is the source of a cash inflow or the application of a cash outflow, the following details of such cash flow should be separately disclosed either in the cash flow statement or in the notes to the financial statements:\n\n(i)      the name of the other reporting unit and/or controlled entity concerned; and\n\n(ii)      the amount paid to/received from each.\n\nAdditional reporting requirements\n\n(18)  Where a reporting unit’s financial affairs are administered by another entity, the reporting unit must disclose in a separate note in the GPFR a detailed breakdown of all services provided and/or expenses incurred. This will include:\n\n(a)    the name of the entity;\n\n(b)    the terms and conditions of the arrangement;\n\n(c)    a narrative description as to the nature of the expenses and/or consultancy services provided.\n\nSuch disclosure shall be in accordance with the disclosure requirements of the Australian Accounting Standards, the Act and these reporting guidelines.\n\n(19)  Any payments made during the reporting period to a former related party of the reporting unit, where the liability was incurred during the period in which a related party relationship existed, must be disclosed under the related party transaction note in the GPFR as though the related party relationship existed at the date of payment.[[2]](#_ftn2)\n\n(20)  All activities described within items 9 – 19 of these reporting guidelines must be disclosed in the GPFR.  If any of the activities identified have not occurred in the reporting period, a statement to this effect must be included either in the financial statements, the notes or in the officer’s declaration statement (see Appendix 1).\n\nReport required under subsection 255(2A)\n\n(21)  Subsection 255(2A) of the Act requires a reporting unit to prepare a separate report that shows the total expenditure incurred by the reporting unit during the financial year in relation to each of the following:\n\n(a)    remuneration, and other employment-related costs and expenses, in respect of employees;\n\n(b)    advertising;\n\n(c)    operating costs;\n\n(d)    donations to political parties;\n\n(e)    legal costs.\n\n(22)  The Act allows for this total expenditure to be shown in diagrammatic form however it is not compulsory to present this information in diagrammatic form and it is at the discretion of the reporting unit on how to present this information in the report. The information is only required to be reported in one format that is, in either a descriptive form or a diagrammatic form.\n\nOperating report\n\n(23)  The General Manager considers it best practice that the operating report:\n\n(a)    be signed by identified officer(s) of the reporting unit whose name(s) are clearly printed; and\n\n(b)    be dated by each officer who has signed the report as at the date on which the officer signs the report.\n\nCommittee of management statement\n\n(24)  For the purposes of paragraph 253(2)(c) of the Act, the reporting unit must prepare a committee of management statement containing declarations by the committee of management in relation to the GPFR.\n\n(25)  The committee of management statement must include declarations by the committee of management as to whether in their opinion:\n\n(a)    the financial statements and notes comply with the Australian Accounting Standards;\n\n(b)    the financial statements and notes comply with the reporting guidelines of the General Manager;\n\n(c)    the financial statements and notes give a true and fair view of the financial performance, financial position and cash flows of the reporting unit for the financial year to which they relate;\n\n(d)    there are reasonable grounds to believe that the reporting unit will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable;\n\n(e)    during the financial year to which the GPFR relates and since the end of that year:\n\n(i)      meetings of the committee of management were held in accordance with the rules of the organisation including the rules of a branch concerned; and\n\n(ii)      the financial affairs of the reporting unit have been managed in accordance with the rules of the organisation including the rules of a branch concerned; and\n\n(iii)      the financial records of the reporting unit have been kept and maintained in accordance with the Act; and\n\n(iv)      where the organisation consists of two or more reporting units, the financial records of the reporting unit have been kept, as far as practicable, in a manner consistent with each of the other reporting units of the organisation; and\n\n(v)      where information has been sought in any request by a member of the reporting unit or the General Manager duly made under section 272 of the Act, that information has been provided to the member or the General Manager; and\n\n(vi)      where any order for inspection of financial records has been made by the Fair Work Commission under section 273 of the Act, there has been compliance.\n\n(26)  The committee of management statement must:\n\n(a)    be made in accordance with such resolution as is passed by the committee of management of the reporting unit in relation to the matters requiring declaration;\n\n(b)    specify the date of passage of the resolution;\n\n(c)    be signed by a designated officer within the meaning of section 243 of the Act; and\n\n(d)    be dated as at the date the designated officer signs the statement.\n\nAuditor’s statement\n\n(27)  The auditor’s statement required under subsection 257(5) of the Act must include a declaration as to whether in the auditor’s opinion the GPFR is presented fairly in accordance with the following:\n\n(a)    the Australian Accounting Standards; and\n\n(b)    any other requirements imposed by these reporting guidelines or Part 3 of Chapter 8 of the Act.\n\n(28)  The auditor’s statement:\n\n(a)    must include a declaration that either:\n\n(i)      the auditor is a registered auditor; or\n\n(ii)      the auditor is a member of a firm where at least one member is a registered auditor; or\n\n(iii)      the auditor is a member of a company where at least one of whose directors. officers or employees is a registered auditor; and\n\n(b)    must specify the registered auditor’s:\n\n(i)      name; and\n\n(ii)      registration number.\n\n(29)  The auditor’s statement must include a declaration, that as part of the audit of the financial statements, they have concluded that management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the reporting unit’s financial statements is appropriate.\n\nGlossary of terms\n\n(30)  The following terms are used in these reporting guidelines—the meaning of any term defined in the Australian Accounting Standards is not modified by the following glossary:\n\namalgamated organisation has the meaning provided in section 35 of the Act.\n\nassets are resources controlled by a reporting unit as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity.\n\nAustralian Accounting Standards means the accounting standards issued by the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) or issued by CPA Australia and by The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and adopted by the AASB (section 6 of the Act).\n\ncapitation fees (also commonly known as sustentation fees or affiliation fees) mean amounts which, under the rules of the organisation or a branch of the organisation, a reporting unit may receive from or pay to another reporting unit of the organisation, calculated in accordance with rules of the organisation or branch for the purpose of ongoing general administrative expenses.\n\ncash means cash on hand and demand deposits.\n\ncash equivalent means short term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.\n\ncash flows means inflows and outflows of cash and cash equivalents.\n\ncomparatives mean the corresponding amounts and other disclosures for the preceding financial year presented for comparative purposes as part of the current year's financial report.\n\ncontrol means the capacity of an entity to dominate decision-making, directly or indirectly, in relation to the financial and operating policies of another entity so as to enable that other entity to operate with it in achieving the objectives of the controlling entity.\n\ncontrol (of an entity) means the power to govern the financial and operating policies of an entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.\n\ndesignated officer is an officer of the reporting unit within the meaning of section 243 of the Act.\n\nemployee benefits mean all forms of consideration given by the reporting unit in exchange for service rendered by holders of office or employees or for the termination of employment.\n\nentity means any legal, administrative, or fiduciary arrangement, organisational structure (including a reporting unit of an organisation) or other party (including a person) having the capacity to deploy scarce resources in order to achieve objectives.\n\nequity means the residual interest in the assets of the reporting unit after deducting all its liabilities.\n\nexpenses means decreases in economic benefits during the accounting period in the form of outflows or depletions of assets or incurrences of liabilities that result in decreases in equity, other than those relating to distribution to equity participants.\n\nfinancial records to the extent that they relate to finances or financial administration include:\n\n(a)    a register;\n\n(b)    any other record of information;\n\n(c)    financial reports or financial records, however compiled, recorded or stored;\n\n(d)    a document (section 6 of the Act).\n\nfinancial statements comprise a statement of financial position, a statement of comprehensive income, a statement of changes in equity, a statement of cash flows and any other statement required by the Australian Accounting Standards (paragraph 253(2)(a) of the Act).\n\nfinancial support means financial resources provided to ensure that the provision of the principal activities are possible.\n\nfinancial year in relation to an organisation means the period of 12 months commencing on 1 July in any year, or another period of 12 months as is provided in the rules of the organisation (section 6 of the Act), or a different period in the special circumstances set out in section 240 of the Act.\n\ngeneral administrative expenses includes expenses in respect of the office of the reporting unit, and other expenses that arise at the reporting unit level and relate to the reporting unit as a whole.\n\ngeneral fund means the equity of the reporting unit other than in relation to any fund operated by the reporting unit for a specific purpose.\n\ngeneral purpose financial report has the meaning set out in subsection 253(2) of the Act.\n\ngrant or donation is taken to have the same meaning as used in section 149 or section 237 of the Act, though it is not limited by amount.\n\nliabilities are a present obligation of the reporting unit arising from past events, the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow from the reporting unit of resources embodying economic benefits.\n\nmembership subscriptions mean and/or include entrance fees or periodic subscriptions in respect of membership of the organisation.\n\nnotes to the financial statements comprise notes required by Australian Accounting Standards and information required by the reporting guidelines (paragraph 253(2)(b) of the Act).\n\norganisation means an organisation registered under the Act.\n\nother entity includes another reporting unit, state association, a transitionally recognised association, external entity or other controlled entity of the reporting unit.\n\npayables are amounts owed by the reporting unit to other entities for goods or services delivered.\n\nprescribed designated officer for the purposes of section 268(c) of the Act means:\n\n(a)    the secretary; or\n\n(b)    an officer (i.e. within the meaning of section 9 of the Act) of the organisation (or reporting unit) other than the secretary who is authorised by the organisation or by the rules of the organisation to sign the certificate.\n\nreceivables are amounts owed to the reporting unit by other entities (including members of the reporting unit) for goods or services delivered (including membership subscriptions).\n\nrecovery of wages activity means work by the organisation to recover from employer’s money due and payable to workers under awards, industrial instruments as prescribed in the Fair Work Act 2009 and contracts of employment.\n\nregistered auditor means a person who is registered as an auditor under subsection 255B(2) or (3) of the Act.\n\nRO Act means the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009.\n\nRO Regulations means the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Regulations 2009.\n\nrelated party has the meaning set out as per the Australian Accounting Standards.\n\nreporting unit has the meaning set out in section 242 of the Act.\n\nrevenue means the gross inflows of economic benefits during the period arising in the course of ordinary activities of an entity when those inflows result in increases in equity, other than increases relating to contributions from equity participants.\n\nrules of an organisation are the rules that an organisation must have under Chapter 5, Part 2 of the Act.\n\nwhip around means the collection of monies, whether on one or more occasions and whether voluntary or compulsory, by an officer or member of the reporting unit for the purpose of providing financial support to member(s) of the reporting unit and/or assisting the reporting unit to carry out the registered organisation’s objects as set out in its rules.\n\n \n\n \n\n![Signature ](image.002.png)\n\nGeneral Manager\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n\nAppendix 1\n\nOFFICER DECLARATION STATEMENT\n\nI, [NAME], being the [OFFICE] of the [ORGANISATION/BRANCH], declare that the following activities did not occur during the reporting period ending [INSERT DATE].\n\nThe reporting unit did not: \n\n(delete items that appear elsewhere in the audited report)\n\n- agree to receive financial support from another reporting unit to continue as a going concern (refers to agreement regarding financial support not dollar amount)\n- agree to provide financial support to another reporting unit to ensure they continue as a going concern (refers to agreement regarding financial support not dollar amount)\n- acquire an asset or liability due to an amalgamation under Part 2 of Chapter 3 of the Act, a restructure of the branches of an organisation, a determination or revocation by the General Manager\n- receive periodic or membership subscriptions\n- receive capitation fees from another reporting unit\n- receive any other revenue from another reporting unit\n- receive revenue via compulsory levies\n- receive donations or grants\n- receive revenue from undertaking recovery of wages activity\n- incur fees as consideration for employers making payroll deductions of membership subscriptions\n- pay capitation fees to another reporting unit\n- pay affiliation fees to another entity\n- pay compulsory levies\n- pay a grant that was $1,000 or less\n- pay a grant that exceeded $1,000\n- pay a donation that was $1,000 or less\n- pay a donation that exceeded $1,000\n- pay to a person fees or allowances to attend conferences or meetings as a representative of the reporting unit\n- incur expenses due to holding a meeting as required under the rules of the organisation\n- pay legal costs relating to litigation\n- pay legal costs relating to other legal matters\n- pay a penalty imposed under the Act or the Fair Work Act 2009\n- have a receivable with another reporting unit\n- have a payable with another reporting unit\n- have a payable to employer as consideration for that employer making payroll deductions of membership subscriptions\n- have a payable in respect of legal costs relating to litigation\n- have a payable in respect of legal costs relating to other legal matters\n- have a fund or account for compulsory levies, voluntary contributions or required by the rules of the organisation or branch\n- transfer to or withdraw from a fund (other than the general fund), account, asset or controlled entity\n- have a balance within the general fund\n- provide cash flows to another reporting unit and/or controlled entity\n- receive cash flows from another reporting units and/or controlled entity\n- have another entity administer the financial affairs of the reporting unit\n- make a payment to a former related party of the reporting unit\n\n\nSigned by the officer:\n\nDated:\n\n\n\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nReporting guidelines for the purposes of section 253 – fifth edition\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument\n\n---\n\n\n[[1]](#_ftnref1) Civil penalty provisions apply.\n\n[[2]](#_ftnref2) For example, payments of employment entitlements to former officers of the reporting unit would fall within this category.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument maintains the established scope of financial reporting guidelines for registered organisations. As the 'sixth edition,' it continues the long-standing framework (dating back to 2003) of prescribing additional disclosure requirements beyond Australian Accounting Standards. While the specific disclosure items have expanded over six editions to cover modern governance concerns (such as recovery of wages activity and detailed related party transaction tracking), the fundamental scope—supplementing accounting standards for union and employer association transparency—remains consistent with the original legislative intent under section 255 of the Act."},"complexity_factors":["30 defined terms in the glossary section, many cross-referencing the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 and Australian Accounting Standards","Nested conditional logic: multiple 'where' clauses triggering disclosure obligations based on specific factual scenarios (e.g., paragraphs 9-11, 12(b), 13(b))","Extensive cross-referencing to external instruments: Australian Accounting Standards (AASB), the Fair Work Act 2009, and the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009","Dual reporting formats allowed for the section 255(2A) report (diagrammatic or descriptive), creating optional compliance pathways","Overlap management required: specific notes about avoiding duplicate disclosures where requirements intersect with AASB 124 Related Party Disclosures","Exception to the exception in paragraph 6(2): Standards prevail over guidelines unless a section 241 determination says otherwise","Multiple categories of employee expenses requiring granular breakdown between 'holders of office' and other employees across several statements","Appendix 1 creates a negative checklist requiring explicit confirmation of non-occurrence for 28 different financial activities"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument issues the sixth edition of financial reporting rules for registered unions and employer associations, specifying what must be disclosed in annual reports so members can see how funds are managed. \n\nIt affects registered organisations, their branches, officers and auditors by requiring tier‑1 accounting standards, detailed related‑party and expenditure disclosures, a committee declaration and auditor statement—strengthening transparency and accountability over member funds."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This sixth‑edition instrument narrows and tightens reporting requirements compared with a permissive approach in earlier editions in at least two concrete ways: (1) it mandates Tier 1 reporting for all reporting units (clause 6(7)), which increases the baseline accounting standard for every unit and may eliminate the prior ability of smaller units to use simplified tiers; and (2) it adds or clarifies detailed, named disclosures (going-concern support arrangements, inter-unit capitation/affiliation amounts and parties, payments to former related parties, a separate s255(2A) expenditure report, and explicit auditor going-concern conclusions) that expand the granularity and scope of required public information (clauses 6(9)–(12), 6(19), 6(21)–(22), 6(27)–(29)). The instrument therefore alters the compliance burden and reporting perimeter compared with earlier editions, not merely restating prior guidance. The instrument also repeals the fifth edition in full (Schedule 1), indicating this is intended as a substantive update rather than a minor administrative revision."},"complexity_factors":["Single instrument replacing previous edition (Schedule 1) with whole-instrument repeal","Numerous cross-references to the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (sections 241, 242, 245, 249, 253, 255, 257, 268, 270, 272, 273)","Direct incorporation and interaction with Australian Accounting Standards (AASB 1053 and AASB 124) (clause 6(2), 6(7), notes to clauses 6(12)/(13))","About 30 defined terms in the glossary (clause 6(30))","Multiple discrete, prescriptive disclosure requirements across financial statements, notes and separate reports (clauses 6(9)–(19), 6(21))","Conditional application (exemption where General Manager issues certificate under subsection 270(1)) (clause 6(1))","Auditor and committee declaration content requirements with signature/date formalities (clauses 6(24)–(29))","Officer declaration Appendix listing many negated items (Appendix 1) creates binary reporting requirement for non‑occurrence (clause 6(20))","Overlap and single‑presentation guidance where AASB and these guidelines intersect (note to clauses 6(12)/(13))","Nested itemisation and categorizations (e.g. employee expenses by holder-of-office vs other employees, multiple subcategories) (clauses 6(13)(f)–(g), 6(15))"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument does (mechanically)**\n\n- Replaces the previous (fifth) edition of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) reporting guidelines and issues a new, sixth edition under section 255 of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (the Act) (clauses 1–3; Schedule 1). \n- Applies to every general purpose financial report (GPFR) of a reporting unit (as defined in section 242 of the Act) for financial years starting on or after the instrument commences, unless the General Manager has issued a certificate under subsection 270(1) for that year (clause 6(1), (3)).\n- Requires all reporting units to follow Tier 1 reporting requirements under AASB 1053 (clause 6(7)).\n- Prescribes additional disclosures (over and above Australian Accounting Standards) that must appear in the GPFR or notes. Key mandatory items include: \n  - disclosure of going-concern financial support arrangements (both where a unit **receives** support and where it **provides** support), including the names of parties and the terms (clause 6(9)–(10));\n  - identification and amounts of revenue and expenditure items that commonly arise for registered organisations — e.g. membership subscriptions, capitation/sustentation fees between reporting units (including names and amounts), compulsory levies and voluntary contributions, donations and grants, revenue from recovery-of-wages activity, payroll-deduction fees, affiliation fees, grants/donations split above/below $1,000, legal costs (clause 6(12)–(13), (13)(e), (13)(j));\n  - disclosure of receivables/payables with other reporting units and the identity of the other unit (clause 6(14));\n  - mandatory schedules/notes for funds/accounts created by levies or rule requirements, transfers to/from such funds, and the general fund balance (clause 6(16));\n  - separate disclosure of cash flows to/from other reporting units or controlled entities (clause 6(17));\n  - requirement to disclose services and terms where another entity administers a reporting unit’s financial affairs (clause 6(18));\n  - related-party payment rule for payments made after a related-party relationship has ended (clause 6(19));\n  - requirement that if any of the specified activities did not occur in the year, the GPFR must include a statement to that effect (clause 6(20); Appendix 1 officer declaration form);\n  - a separate report, under subsection 255(2A), showing totals for five broad expenditure categories: employee remuneration and related costs; advertising; operating costs; donations to political parties; and legal costs (clauses 6(21)–(22));\n  - committee-of-management declaration content and signature/date requirements (clauses 6(24)–(26)); and\n  - detailed auditor statement requirements, including an explicit auditor conclusion about management’s use of going-concern accounting and the auditor’s registration details (clauses 6(27)–(29)).\n\n- Where a requirement conflicts with an Australian Accounting Standard, the Standard prevails unless the Fair Work Commission has determined otherwise under section 241 of the Act (clause 6(2)).\n\n**Who this affects**\n\n- Primary: registered organisations and their reporting units (branches, state bodies, etc.) required to lodge GPFRs under the Act (clause 6(1)).\n- Secondary: auditors of those GPFRs (must be registered and must make specified declarations) (clauses 6(27)–(29)); members of reporting units (recipients of the GPFR information); and the Fair Work Commission/General Manager (who enforce and supervise compliance).\n\n**Why it matters (stated purpose and practical effects)**\n\n- The instrument’s stated purpose is to set disclosure requirements additional to Australian Accounting Standards so members can ‘‘gauge the performance of the committee of management and other holders of office’’ and to improve information about economic support or dependency between reporting units and other entities (clause 6(5)–(6)).\n\n- Testing the stated purpose against implementation mechanics: \n  - Information targeted: the guidelines require named, quantified disclosures about flows between reporting units, levy/fund activity, grants/donations, legal and political spending, going-concern support arrangements, and administration arrangements — all of which produce member-useful, transaction-level transparency (clauses 6(9)–(19)).\n  - Cost and compliance: requiring Tier 1 AASB reporting, named counterparty disclosures, auditor declarations (including going-concern conclusion), and the separate expenditure report will increase preparation and audit effort for reporting units (clause 6(7); clauses 6(21)–(29)). Those costs fall on reporting units and, indirectly, on their members who fund reporting-unit operations.\n  - Incentives and behavioural effects: the disclosure of inter-unit transfers, capitation fees and support agreements makes transfers and financial dependence visible to members and regulators, which may change organisations’ behaviour around centralisation, support promises, and internal transfers (clauses 6(9)–(12), (14), (16)–(17)).\n  - Overlap and duplication controls: the guidelines acknowledge overlap with AASB 124 (related party disclosures) and permit single disclosure where it satisfies both (clause 6(12) note; clause 6(13) note). This reduces redundant work but still requires mapping AASB obligations into the GPFR notes.\n  - Implementation risk and discretion: the General Manager retains discretion to issue certificates under subsection 270(1) and to determine that parts of AASBs do not apply under section 241 — these powers create case-by-case exceptions (clause 6(1)–(2)).\n\n**Who pays, who decides, and what behaviour changes**\n\n- Who pays: reporting units pay the increased preparation, audit and administrative costs; members ultimately finance those costs. Where a reporting unit uses external administrators or consultants, those contract costs may rise (clause 6(18)).\n- Who decides: the General Manager of the Fair Work Commission sets these guidelines and retains certain discretionary powers; committees of management must adopt the declarations and resolutions required by the guidelines; auditors must make specified statements and be registered (clauses 6(1), (24)–(29)).\n- Behaviour changes expected: more comprehensive documentation of inter-unit transfers, named counterparty disclosures, clearer going-concern support statements, and more rigorous auditor reporting should increase transparency and may constrain informal or undocumented financial arrangements between reporting units (clauses 6(9)–(19), (27)–(29)).\n\n**Trade-offs, costs and risks**\n\n- Concentrated benefit: members and the regulator gain clearer, named visibility of payments and support arrangements (clauses 6(9)–(14), (17)).\n- Diffuse cost: all reporting units face increased compliance burden (Tier 1 reporting and expanded note disclosures) and potentially higher audit fees (clause 6(7); clauses 6(12)–(19); clauses 6(27)–(29)).\n- Opportunity cost: resources devoted to expanded reporting are resources not spent on core organisation activities. Smaller reporting units may disproportionately feel the compliance burden despite being subject to the same Tier 1 rule (clause 6(7)).\n- Implementation risk: the requirement for named, transactional disclosures increases the risk of inadvertent non‑compliance (e.g. missing a former-related‑party payment disclosure) and creates more discrete review points for auditors and the Commission (clauses 6(19), 6(27)–(29)).\n\n**Key sections to look at when you act**\n\n- Application and scope: clause 6(1)–(3)\n- Tier requirement: clause 6(7)\n- Going concern support disclosures: clauses 6(9)–(10)\n- Revenue and expense line-item disclosures (membership, capitation, levies, donations, recovery-of-wages, legal costs): clauses 6(12)–(13)\n- Receivables/payables with other reporting units: clause 6(14)\n- Funds and transfers disclosure: clause 6(16)\n- Separate expenditure report (s255(2A)): clauses 6(21)–(22)\n- Committee and auditor statements: clauses 6(24)–(29)\n- Officer declaration template: Appendix 1\n\n"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/fair-work-registered-organisations-reporting-guidelines-for-the-purposes-of-section-253-sixth-editio","history":"/api/acts/fair-work-registered-organisations-reporting-guidelines-for-the-purposes-of-section-253-sixth-editio/history","analysis":"/api/acts/fair-work-registered-organisations-reporting-guidelines-for-the-purposes-of-section-253-sixth-editio/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/fair-work-registered-organisations-reporting-guidelines-for-the-purposes-of-section-253-sixth-editio/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/fair-work-registered-organisations-reporting-guidelines-for-the-purposes-of-section-253-sixth-editio/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/fair-work-registered-organisations-reporting-guidelines-for-the-purposes-of-section-253-sixth-editio/documents"}}