Corporation fined for failing to lodge reports

The Gerard Community Council Aboriginal Corporation in South Australia has been fined after pleading guilty to five counts of failing to lodge reports with the federal registrar.

The council, in South Australia’s Riverland area, only has a population according to the 2021 census of 50 people, but still has to register at least one report annually with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC).

Five charges before the court

Lawyers for the corporation appeared in Berri Magistrates Court on Tuesday to plead guilty to four counts of failing to to lodge with the registrar and a further count of failing to lodge a general report. The offences date back to 2023.

Magistrate John Wells handed out an overall fine of $2,500, but reduced it to $2,000 plus costs, due to their early guilty plea.

“Corporations receiving government assistance, even small councils such as the defendant, are required to comply with their obligations, the magistrate said.

“Funding provided by taxpayers must be properly accounted for.”