16 January 2020
Registered Organisations Commissioner, Mark Bielecki, has
welcomed the high voluntary compliance rate achieved this year by unions and
employer associations lodging their Officer and Related Party (ORP) Disclosure
Statements with the ROC on time.
Ninety-nine per cent (300 out of 303) of registered
organisations and branches with a financial year ending on 30 June 2019 lodged
their ORP statements by 31 December 2019, as required by the Fair Work
Registered Organisations Act 2009 (RO Act). This is an increase on the initial
compliance rate of 91 per cent for the same period the previous year, and an
overall initial compliance rate of 92 per cent.
ORP statements provide important information about
remuneration received by the top five-ranked officers of organisations and
branches, including remuneration received by officers from a board or a related
party of the organisation. Certain payments made by organisations and branches
to related persons or bodies are also required to be disclosed.
Mr Bielecki said this result was especially pleasing as the
legislative requirement for organisations and their branches to lodge ORP
statements only came into effect in the 2018-19 financial year, and organisations
are still becoming familiar with the statements.
“The ROC has and continues to undertake extensive engagement
and consultation with registered organisations to assist them to comply with
these requirements by providing educational materials and guidance about how
the provisions are applicable to their circumstances,” Mr Bielecki said.
“Our experience is that the vast majority of organisations
are interested in voluntary compliance and want to do the right thing by their
members, and this result reinforces that,” he said.
“Our key objective is to drive behaviours in registered
organisations that see them and their officers consistently focussed on acting
in the best interests of their members, ensuring members’ money is spent in a
way that is transparent, properly authorised and complies with their obligations
under the RO Act.”
“Providing compliance education assistance and advice to
registered organisations, supported by practical resources, is a priority for
the ROC, and high voluntary compliance rates are a testament to the success of
this work,” Mr Bielecki said.
Organisations and branches with a financial year ending 30
September 2019 are next due to lodge their disclosure statements by the end of
March this year.
Media contact: media@roc.gov.au or 03 9603 0767