This page sets out the Institute’s current legal status. We will update it as each step below is completed.
Where the Institute stands today
- Name: The Australian Institute of Pharmacognosy.
- Legal form: an unincorporated not-for-profit association, governed by its Constitution. It is not incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Qld) and is not registered with ASIC.
- ABN: 80 473 856 173 (active since 30 April 2025). The Australian Business Register lists the Institute as an Other Unincorporated Entity with its main business location in Queensland (postcode 4849). Record checked on ABN Lookup on 21 September 2026.
- Constitution: adopted by special resolution on 17 May 2025. It requires the Institute to operate on a not-for-profit basis and apply its income and property only to its purposes. See the Constitution.
- Board: the office-bearers named in clause 15 of the Constitution are the Chair, Dr Luke Iggulden ND, and the Vice Chair, Miss Sharee Rickert ND. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer are vacant, and the Board is recruiting further members.
- Charity registration: the Institute is not registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
- Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status: the Institute is not endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a DGR. Gifts and payments to the Institute are not tax-deductible.
- GST: the Institute is not registered for GST.
Working towards DGR endorsement
The Institute intends to seek DGR endorsement, which requires several steps in order:
- Step 1: A formal legal structure. The Institute is preparing to incorporate as a not-for-profit body.
- Step 2: Governance. The Board is recruiting further directors, so that the Institute has the independent governing body that charity registration expects.
- Step 3: Charity registration with the ACNC.
- Step 4: An application to the ATO for DGR endorsement under the category that fits the Institute’s research purpose.
Progress at 21 September 2026: the Institute has adopted its governance policies and reviewed them in full against current law, reviewed its website legal notices, and assessed the legal structures available for incorporation. Its next steps are to take professional legal advice on the structure and on its Constitution’s public fund and winding-up clauses, and then to incorporate. None of steps 1 to 4 is complete yet.
Decisions on steps 3 and 4 rest with the ACNC and the ATO. We cannot say when, or whether, endorsement will be granted. Until the ATO endorses the Institute, we will not describe any gift as tax-deductible.
Donations
The Institute is currently accepting equipment donations: laboratory instruments, glassware, consumables and similar gear. The Donations page lists what we are looking for. The Institute does not take money donations through this website. In Queensland, appeals to the public for money or goods for a charitable or community purpose are regulated under the Collections Act 1966 (Qld), and the Institute is preparing to apply for registration with the Office of Fair Trading under that Act. Gifts to the Institute, including equipment, are not tax-deductible.
Laboratory and equipment
The laboratory the Institute works with in Cardwell is owned and run by a researcher who holds a Laboratory Charter from the Institute. The Institute has access to that laboratory but does not own it or its equipment.
Contact
Governance questions and complaints: please use our contact form.