Building on strong foundations
In 2025, the National Tax Clinic program continued to build on the strong foundations established in previous years, working with more than 200 partners across Australia. These partners represented a diverse network of professional accounting firms, charitable organisations, community groups, government agencies, and public volunteers.
Despite operating with limited resources and facing consistently high demand from communities, the program achieved significant outcomes – see the National Tax Clinic program highlights earlier in this report. This success was made possible through the extensive support provided by partners and volunteers, whose contributions remained central to the program’s ability to assist vulnerable taxpayers. Their involvement strengthened the capacity of tax clinics nationwide, ensuring that individuals experiencing financial hardship or complex tax issues could access timely and appropriate support.
The program’s achievements were underpinned by a broad range of partner contributions, each playing a distinct role in supporting service delivery:
- Referrals — Many partners, including financial counsellors and community service providers, referred clients directly to tax clinics. These referral pathways ensured that vulnerable individuals were connected with the specialised assistance they required, strengthening the program’s reach and impact.
- In-kind expertise — Partners generously contributed their professional skills, offering time and expertise from tax practitioners, legal professionals, and other service specialists. This in-kind support enhanced the quality and breadth of services available to clients.
- Collaborative support — Organisations worked closely with tax clinics to co-design and deliver tailored services that responded to local needs. This collaboration enabled clinics to adapt their approaches and provide more targeted assistance.
- Financial contributions — In addition to government grant funding, several partners provided supplementary financial support. These contributions strengthened the operational capacity of tax clinics and enabled them to extend their services to more community members.
Testimonies and feedback
A testimony from a financial counsellor
‘I recall one particularly vulnerable client, a single mother with significant mental health challenges, who was facing mounting debt and was completely overwhelmed by a backlog of unfilled tax returns. While I could provide budgeting support and connect her with other essential services, the tax complexities were beyond my capacity. By collaborating with the Curtin University Tax Clinic, we were able to access their specialised expertise. They patiently worked with the client, helping her understand her obligations, file the outstanding returns, and ultimately identify significant refunds she was entitled to. This not only alleviated a major source of stress and anxiety for her but also provided much-needed financial relief, enabling her to take steps towards greater stability.’
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Partner feedback
‘On behalf of the [partner firm] team and the entire community, we would like to sincerely thank you all for your valuable support in making this event a success.’
Hundreds of partners – industry professionals, community services, government agencies and more, have provided support to the National Tax Clinic program across Australia. We thank you all for your time, effort, support, and enthusiasm to helping those in our community that need it!
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A testimony from Adelaide University – value in partnerships
‘We greatly value our annual partnership with Belinda and Adelaide University Tax Clinic. MoneyMob has been assisting remote First Nations clients with tax help since 2014, through the tax help program. However, having the tax clinic alongside us for the last couple of years has really increased the extent of the support we can provide to clients. Belinda is able to assist with more complex tax matters, requiring a tax agent's knowledge and level of registration. This saves clients many months of stressful uncertainty and/or having to pay a commercial tax agent from their generally very low incomes. In our experience, tax agents that charge a fee are often difficult for clients to connect with and understand how the fee structure will work.
As an individual, Belinda is flexible and culturally appropriate. She is willing to take follow up referrals from us, once the tax help outreach period in the community has concluded. She works with us as a trusted intermediary. It would be great if Adelaide University would consider supporting additional volunteers and students to attend this remote outreach clinic, as it would be invaluable learning for them – not only in regard to tax matters, but cultural diversity and First Nations Australians.'
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