Charity regulator avoids country 'bias'

The head of the national charity regulator has asked his staff not to make acknowledgements of country beginning with "we" in their email signatures, fearing it may demonstrate a bias to indigenous charities.

Australian charities and not-for-profits commission boss and former Labor minister Gary Johns has told senators of the step while being grilled at a hearing in Canberra.

"The words raise a perception of bias that I'm not treating all the charities the same. I think that's plain on the face of it," Dr Johns said on Wednesday.

An acknowledgement of country is aimed at showing respect for Australia's traditional owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to country.

Dr Johns said he has permitted staff to include such acknowledgements in their email signatures starting with "I" but doesn't want them to use "we", because it links the sentiment to the commission.

He said one staff member has expressed concerns about the change, but he has not taken disciplinary action action them.

The commissioner spoke with two senior staff at the Australian Taxation Office about whether he could control staff's email signatures before bringing in the protocol and their advice was clear.

"That I control the signature block," he told the senators.

Dr Johns served as a minister in the Keating government during the course of his stint in federal parliament between 1987 and 1996.

Questioning the former MP, Labor senator Jenny McAllister said she couldn't see why the charity regulator should take a different attitude to acknowledgements of country to other public service agencies.

"That's not my problem, that's yours," Dr Johns said.