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About the Commission

The Charitable Trusts Act 2022 established the Western Australian Charitable Trusts Commission to help ensure charitable trusts operate lawfully.

The Ombudsman is the Charitable Trusts Commission.

What is a charitable trust?

A charitable trust holds money or property to help the community by:

  • Providing financial assistance, such as community support payments and funeral costs
  • Supporting education, sporting and community projects
  • Providing access to health, medical and wellbeing services
  • Preserving culture and heritage 

Our role

We look at complaints about how charitable trusts are managed. This includes checking that funds are used properly and that decisions are fair and transparent.

In Western Australia, many charitable trusts manage native title funds and assets. By ensuring the fair allocation of resources, we assist in strengthening the future of the community.

What we can do

We can investigate if it looks like something is wrong.

Some of the things we investigate are:

  • Misuse of funds or assets
  • Spending that is excessive or unreasonable, including administration costs
  • Unfair decisions
  • Delays or refusals in considering applications for assistance
  • Conflicts of interest in decision-making
  • Lack of transparency
  • Not providing information or documents

What we cannot do

We cannot investigate:

  • Decisions about membership of Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate or Prescribed Bodies Corporate
  • Fundraising activities
  • How money raised through fundraising is spent
  • Private disputes between individuals
  • Employment matters within a charitable trust
  • Charities registered with the Australian Not-for-Profit Commission

How to submit your complaint

If you have any concerns about a charitable trust, you can complain to us by:

Make a Complaint

If you need help with your complaint, please let us know - we’re here to assist. You can also ask someone else to help you.

If your main language is an Aboriginal language, please tell us. We can arrange an interpreter through Aboriginal Interpreting WA.

If you are Deaf, hard of hearing, or have difficulty speaking or communicating, you can use the National Relay Service.

What happens next

We will review your complaint to see if we can help.

We will then contact you to let you know our decision.