The University of Newcastle Tax Clinic supports the integrity and fairness of the Australian taxation system by educating the community, undertaking tax research and providing assistance and tax advice for unrepresented, low-income taxpayers.
We support people who have experienced hardship (financial, emotional and/or psychological), have a low income and cannot afford to appoint a tax agent to represent them in their tax affairs. Our clients are both individual and small business taxpayers, in particular sole traders, across the Hunter region.
We have a dedicated and professional team comprising of tax manager, tax agent, tax academic, and academic director. We are well supported by our student ambassadors (undergraduate and postgraduate) and work integrated learning (WIL) students who assist our clients under the supervision of our tax agent. We pay fair wages to our staff and student ambassadors. Our WIL students receive study credit from completing a semester’s work at the clinic.
How the clinic operates
In 2023 we concluded our second year of operation in our new dedicated clinic centre on level 2, NuSpace. The tax clinic, continued to offer free consultations (in person or via Zoom) each Monday (9:00 am – 5:00 pm) during the 2 teaching semesters. We expanded our services to include outreach events and educational seminars in the community.
Newcastle Tax Clinic Education Program
Newcastle Tax Clinic successfully held 2 general tax information sessions on 7 and 14 August. These sessions explored a range of tax topics including, tax lodgment using myTax, linking myGov with the ATO, and tips on declaring income and claiming deductions. The sessions were well attended.
Tax clinic and Older persons legal clinic joint seminar on Scam
In collaboration with the School of Law and Justice, on 23 June, the tax clinic co-presented a free Community Legal Education and Tax Education Seminar focusing on how to identify tax scams and what steps to take if you believe that you have been scammed. Presentation was hosted by the Newcastle Library. The presentation was very well received.
Newcastle Tax Clinic Outreach Program at the Institute of Wollotuka
On 4 September, the tax clinic held an outreach event at the Callaghan campus as part of Institute of Wollotuka’s Student support program. We provided tax advice and assisted Indigenous students and those from diverse background in completing their income tax returns.
Joint pop-up tax clinic run by Newcastle and UNSW at the Salvation Army Offices
In a collaborative effort with the University of NSW Tax Clinic, we held a tax clinic pop-up event at the Salvation Army Offices in Hamilton on 28 July. We were delighted to help clients lodge tax returns, answer tax questions and provide guidance on tax matters on the day.
Highlights for 2023
In 2023, the University of Newcastle tax clinic:
- received 210 requests for assistance
- operated for 26 days
- operated for 1,360 hours
- helped 101 clients
- educated 46 clients via seminars and events
- lodged 226 lodgments
- conducted 32 individual tax advice consultations
- secured refunds to the value of $245,000
- remitted $2,770 of penalties.
In July 2023 we implemented a client survey. To date, 40 surveys have been completed.
Our client’s say the following.
- We understood their issue tax issues (85% of respondents agreed the tax clinic staff understood their issues extremely well).
- We were professional in our dealings with them (95% of respondents rated their experience with the tax clinic as strongly agreed that we were professional.
- We delivered great customer service (97% of respondents strongly agree that tax clinic staff delivered great customer service).
- 90% of respondents said it was a great relief to receive help to resolve their tax issues.
- 85% of respondents said they felt less stressed and anxious about tax after receiving support from the tax clinic.
A client story
Wayne has always been a hard worker, earning income and paying taxes until about 9 years ago when extenuating circumstances took him down a different path. Now in his 60’s he found himself with little income, homeless and living out of his car. The Salvation Army reached out to the UON Tax Clinic for support to lodge his outstanding tax returns, hoping there may be a small refund in the system for him.
The tax clinic staff, working remotely with the Salvation Army and Wayne, reconstructed financial details (with the support of the ATO) and completed his 9 overdue tax returns.
The completed returns resulted in an accumulated tax refund of over $15,000 dollars. Tax clinic staff were proud to have been able to help Wayne unlock his refunds to support a better future.
Clinic operations
Address
Level 2, NUspace, The University of Newcastle, Hunter St and Auckland St, Newcastle NSW 2300
Academic Director
Associate Professor Mardy Chiah
Staff
Rose Di Stefano – Tax Clinic Manager
Maria Fratangelo – Tax Agent
Dr Vien Chu – Tax Academic