The Western Desert Puntukurnuparna Aboriginal Corporation has been fined $2000 in the Perth Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to failing to lodge its 2008–09 annual reports.
The corporation was convicted of one offence against section 330-10(1) of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act) for non-lodgment of a general report and one offence against section 348-1(1) of the CATSI Act for non-lodgment of a financial report. The corporation was fined $1000 for each report not lodged with the Registrar.
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations are required to lodge reports each year, unless exempted by the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations. Reports must be lodged by 31 December.
‘Reporting under the CATSI Act is important to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the public database of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations,’ said the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, Anthony Beven.
‘Each year my office conducts a compliance program to identify corporations that do not lodge their annual reports by 31 December. This year the program will be focusing on medium and large corporations.’
The maximum penalty a court can impose on a corporation for non-lodgment of reports with the Registrar is $13 750 per report.
Charges against Western Desert Puntukurnuparna Aboriginal Corporation were brought by the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
For further information about reporting obligations see ORIC’s Corporation reporting guide.xxx
29 September 2010
Contact: Sayuri Piper
Tel: (02) 6219 7658
Ref: ORIC MR1011-11