New legislation that aims to reduce 'Red Tape' for small Incorporated Associations, like P&Cs, has just been passed. At the moment, the changes only affect P&Cs which are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (see this FAQ for more information). These P&Cs will no longer be required to provide an Annual Return (the AR form) each year to the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS, now under the umbrella of Access Canberra). Only the ACNC's Annual Information Statement, completed via their online portal, will be required. P&Cs will also no longer need to notify the ORS of changes to the committee, except for changes to the Public Officer, which still need to be notified to ORS. Changes take effect from July 1 this year and do apply to the current financial year.

Council is currently updating our resources to reflect these changes and preparing advice for P&Cs, including the pros and cons of becoming registered with the ACNC for P&Cs who currently do not have charity registration.

If you have a concern about traffic around your school, please join us for our School Traffic Sub-committee meeting, Wednesday June 28 at 7pm, 100 Maitland St Hackett. The meeting will be attended by Andrew Crichton from Transport Canberra who can answer questions about the new school-crossing supervisor program and school traffic management plans. Any interested parents are welcome, but please let us know if you intend to come.

Invoices for general insurance are on their way (they have been delayed by a couple of P&Cs having trouble returning the insurance questionnaire)! Keep an eye out for them arriving early next week. Workers compensation insurance invoices should be with P&Cs already. Payment for both should be made to Civic Insurance as soon as possible.

Many thanks to the many P&Cs who have already paid their affiliation (Council Membership) fees. If you have not already paid, we would appreciate your payment by the end of June. Your membership fees allow us to continue to provide our services and resources for P&Cs as well as to lobby on behalf of parents and our schools. See more on what your membership provides here.

Each year Council holds a Policy Conference to discuss changes to Council policy. Our policy is important because it represents the collective views of P&C associations throughout the ACT. We use it to guide the activities of Council and our parent representatives so that they can accurately voice the values and concerns of our members.

This year's Policy Conference will be on Tuesday August 22, as part of our usual General Meeting. The policy document was extensively updated last year, so no major changes are expected this year. However, if there is something that you think should be changed, please let Council's Policy Officer, Veronica Elliott, know.

 

If your P&C employs workers, please be aware that the Fair Work Commission has announced a 3.3% increase  to all modern award wages, starting from 1 July this year. They are still updating their pay tools, but in the meantime the most up-to-date information can be found on their website.

The ACT Government is inviting canteens to apply to be included on their approved Catering Provider List. The list is promoted across ACT Directorates as the go-to place whenever catering is needed for Government workplaces, meetings and functions. If your canteen has the capacity to provide catering, you can apply via the Access Canberra website. A menu assessment is required against Healthy Food and Drink Guidelines.

Two new learn-to-ride centres have opened in Belconnen and Tuggeranong. The freely-open centres are designed for children aged 4-9 to learn all the basics of pedestrian and cycling safety in a fun environment. Parents, schools and community groups can use the space to teach children to ride bicycles and practise using footpaths, roundabouts and pedestrian crossings.

• Hot Topics/General meeting, Tuesday June 27, 6:45 for 7pm start. Includes presentation from Jennifer Sexton on in-school mindfulness programs. Space still available on the agenda for any issues from your school or P&C. Ends 9:30pm. 51 Fremantle Drive, Stirling.
• School Traffic sub-committee meeting (see above for details) Wednesday June 28 at 7pm, 100 Maitland St Hackett. All welcome, but please let us know to expect you.