Churches and charitable organisations can be set up in a number of different legal structures. A common form of structure is a “company limited by guarantee”. If your organisation is a company limited by guarantee (check your Constitution or governing document if you are unsure), then the Board members are generally directors of the company. New legislation that came into force as from 1 November 2021 requires that all company directors must obtain a Director ID from the government’s Australian Business Registry Services. If you are a director of more than one company, your Director ID will be the same each time.
If you are a director of a company already in existence, then you have until 1 November 2022 to obtain your Director ID. If you become a director of a company between 1 November2021 and 4 April 2022, you must obtain a Director ID within 28 days of appointment. If you wish to become a director after 5 April 2022, you must have a Director ID in advance.
The Director ID process itself is relatively painless, but you must already have a myGov ID, which does take a little time to set up. Here is a link to Australian Business Registry Services, will take you through the process and answer your questions.