Compliance

Compliance

Running a community club involves more than delivering great experiences on the field — it also means meeting important legal, financial and operational obligations. Staying on top of compliance protects your club, your volunteers, and your members, and keeps you eligible for insurance, grants and participation in Rugby.

Why Does Compliance Matter?

Based on the 2025 Rugby Australia National Club Health Check — with over 500 clubs responding — half of all clubs were found to be non-compliant in at least one area, with financial reporting, volunteer registration and child safeguarding the most common gaps.

Non-compliance creates real risks: loss of public liability cover, ineligibility for grants, and personal liability for committee members. The good news is that most compliance requirements are straightforward once you know what they are.

The Five Compliance Pillars

These are the five foundational areas every Rugby club must have in place to operate legally, stay insured, protect volunteers and children, and remain eligible within Rugby.

• Legal Status (Incorporation & ABN) — Your club must be incorporated as an association under your state or territory's legislation, and hold a current ABN. Incorporation gives your club a legal identity separate from its members, limiting personal liability for committee members.
• Constitution — Your club must have a current constitution (also called rules of association) that meets the minimum requirements of your state or territory legislation. Rugby Australia provides a model constitution as a starting point. Visit the Governance page for incorporation resources by state.
• Financial Obligations — Clubs must lodge annual financial returns with their state or territory regulator and meet their ATO obligations. Requirements vary depending on your state and the size of your club. See the state-by-state links below.
• Executive Registration — All committee members must be registered in Rugby Xplorer. This ensures your club's leadership is visible and insured within the Rugby Australia system.
• Child Safeguarding (WWCC) — Your club must maintain an active and up-to-date Working with Children Check register for all relevant volunteers and staff, in line with your local legislation. Visit the Child Safeguarding page for full details.

Starting Out? Get the Handover Right

If you're a new committee member, the first step is securing the right information from your predecessors. Make sure you have:

Governance: constitution and club rules, recent AGM minutes, bank account details and signatories, current budget and financial position, outstanding debts or grant acquittals, and insurance policies.

Operations: facility keys and access codes, login credentials (email, social media, Rugby Xplorer), key stakeholder contacts (council, state union, sponsors), equipment and stock inventory, and your annual calendar and upcoming commitments.

State and Territory Compliance Authorities

Each state and territory have its own legislation and compliance reporting requirements for incorporated associations. Use the links below to check your obligations and key due dates:

• National - Australian Taxation Office – Not for Profit self-review
• ACT – Access Canberra - Annual Returns
• NSW – NSW Fair Trading - Financial reporting requirements
• NT – Licensing NT
• QLD – Queensland Government - Financial responsibilities for incorporated associations
• SA – Consumer and Business Services SA - Financial management in incorporated associations
• TAS – CBOS Tasmania - Clubs Incorporated association requirements
• VIC – Consumer Affairs Victoria Financial reporting requirements of incorporated associations
• WA – WA Consumer Protection - Tiered financial reporting