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The Northern Territory Government is undertaking a review of the Associations Act 2003(the Act) to ensure that the legislative framework governing the associations remains robust, fit for purpose and responsive to contemporary needs of associations in the Northern Territory .
The Act regulates the incorporation, governance, and management of incorporated associations in the Northern Territory. It sets out the legal requirements for forming an association, the duties and powers of office holders, rules for financial reporting and accountability, and processes for resolving disputes or winding up an association.
Key areas for review
The key areas for review include:
Establishing criteria to guide or require transition to ASIC-regulated company structure for large or complex associations.
Introducing additional regulator powers, to enable earlier and proportionate intervention.
Reviewing fee settings to support sustainable and risk-based regulation.
Considering governance thresholds, including increased minimum membership requirements.
Clarifying property and land vesting arrangements.
Provide feedback
The Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations (DTBAR) is seeking feedback from Incorporated Associations and other key stakeholders to inform negotiations for the Act’s reform.
Your feedback will play a critical role in shaping options for reform and ensuring that the Act is contemporised and fit for purpose for the needs of associations in the Northern Territory.
Before sharing your views, please take a moment to read the Discussion Paper which outlines key issues and considers emerging challenges.
To provide feedback, you can:
Complete the survey
Lodge a written submission via the upload function
Consultation is open until Friday 20 March 2026.
The Northern Territory Government is undertaking a review of the Associations Act 2003(the Act) to ensure that the legislative framework governing the associations remains robust, fit for purpose and responsive to contemporary needs of associations in the Northern Territory .
The Act regulates the incorporation, governance, and management of incorporated associations in the Northern Territory. It sets out the legal requirements for forming an association, the duties and powers of office holders, rules for financial reporting and accountability, and processes for resolving disputes or winding up an association.
Key areas for review
The key areas for review include:
Establishing criteria to guide or require transition to ASIC-regulated company structure for large or complex associations.
Introducing additional regulator powers, to enable earlier and proportionate intervention.
Reviewing fee settings to support sustainable and risk-based regulation.
Considering governance thresholds, including increased minimum membership requirements.
Clarifying property and land vesting arrangements.
Provide feedback
The Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations (DTBAR) is seeking feedback from Incorporated Associations and other key stakeholders to inform negotiations for the Act’s reform.
Your feedback will play a critical role in shaping options for reform and ensuring that the Act is contemporised and fit for purpose for the needs of associations in the Northern Territory.
Before sharing your views, please take a moment to read the Discussion Paper which outlines key issues and considers emerging challenges.
To provide feedback, you can:
Complete the survey
Lodge a written submission via the upload function
We're seeking feedback from incorporated associations and other key stakeholders to inform the review of the Associations Act 2003.
This survey outlines the key issues and proposed updates to the Act and its regulations.
The questions are a guide for you to tell us what needs to be considered. You may choose to provide responses to all questions, or only those that are relevant. You can provide other information outside these questions at the end.
Before sharing your views, please take a moment to read the Discussion Paper which outlines key issues and proposed updates to the Act and its regulations.
If you would like to make a written submission, you can upload your document here.
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