What the Corporations Act 2001 is
The Corporations Act 2001 is the principal Commonwealth law that governs companies in Australia. It sets out how companies are formed and run, the duties of directors and officers, the rules around meetings and resolutions, and the reporting and record-keeping obligations that apply to different types of company.
For a board, the Act translates into a set of recurring responsibilities: holding meetings properly, recording decisions, keeping registers up to date and meeting reporting deadlines. Not every organisation is governed solely by the Corporations Act. Charities also engage with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and many associations operate under state-based association acts. A governance team often has to track obligations from more than one source at once.
This page describes the Act in general terms. It is not legal advice, and an organisation should seek professional advice on how the Act applies to its circumstances.
The Corporations Act in the Cohiva platform
Cohiva Quorum is a governance operating system for Australian boards that models the Corporations Act, ACNC requirements and state association acts as data. It manages board meetings, agendas, minutes, resolutions and obligations, so the governance steps that apply to an organisation are built into the workflow.
Quorum is designed to support your governance obligations and good record-keeping, not to replace legal advice. To see how it works, explore Quorum.