Your Questions, Answered

Yes. The Creative Skills Retail Council (CSRC) is a special purpose not-for-profit company registered with ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission). This means it is legally required to operate without distributing profits to shareholders or members.

Instead, 100% of profits are reinvested into our core impact areas - Accessible Education, Career and Skills Development and Community Enrichment initiatives.

CSRC is also structured as a social enterprise, meaning we use commercial strategies to achieve our mission-driven goals, blending purpose and sustainability in everything we do.

Being a not-for-profit means that CSRC does not distribute profits to any individuals, shareholders, or members and reinvests all earnings into programs and services that benefit the industry and community.

The CSRC operates with a clear social or public purpose, rather than a private or commercial one.

 

A social enterprise is a business that exists to solve social, cultural, or environmental challenges through trade, not charity.

At CSRC, this means:

We generate income through memberships, endorsed training, events, merchandise and sponsorship.

That income is used to fund impact initiatives.

 

Yes. We are a modern industry association for the hair, barber, and beauty sectors based in Australia.

CSRC is legally structured as a not-for-profit special purpose Pty Limited company, which:

Gives us the flexibility to operate sustainably. It provides a modern and flexible legal framework that allows us to operate with the professionalism of a company while upholding the values and obligations of a not-for-profit.

It allows us to partner with brands, educators, and government and ensures transparency and accountability through our constitution and governance.

Two common legal structures are a Company Limited by Guarantee or an Incoporated Association, however, these are not the only legal structures. A special purpose not for profit allows greater flexibility to achieve our goals within the context of a modern and evolving landscape.

Any registered business or individual with an ABN can join CSRC.
This includes:

1. Sole traders (e.g. freelance and independant stylists, beauty professionals and barbers).
2. Business owners and operators including registered home-based businesses.
3. Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and teachers.
4. Product brands, distributors, and service providers.
5. Multi-site businesses and franchisors . We welcome everyone committed to strengthening and supporting the vibrant hair, beauty, and barbering industry.

Yes. You don’t need to be a member to support our impact.
You can:

1. Purchase training via the CSRC Business Academy 
2. Attend events
3. Shop our merchandise 
Every purchase helps our impact.

Yes. The Creative Skills Retail Council is governed by a Constitution, as required for special purpose not-for-profit companies under ASIC.

This Constitution:

1. Replaces the standard “replaceable rules” set out in the Corporations Act
2. Outlines our purpose, and not-for-profit obligations
3. Details how we manage membership, reinvest profits, and ensure transparent governance
4. Legally binds CSRC to operate with integrity, purpose, representing the interests of our members, the broader industry and communities.

By adopting a constitution, CSRC ensures that our structure aligns with both our social enterprise model and our industry impact objectives.