24 February 2025
The union representing staff in non-government schools calls on Brindabella Christian College to pay salaries and superannuation it owes to staff immediately.
Many staff at the K-12 school in Canberra were not paid on Friday in accordance with the scheduled pay period, leaving them distressed about paying bills including rent and mortgage.
The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch is meeting with school management on Monday afternoon to seek answers about when wages will be paid as well as emergency assistance for staff unable to pay bills.
IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Carol Matthews said the union would take action in the Fair Work Commission if it did not receive a satisfactory response from the school. The union is also providing information to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
“It is shocking that dedicated, hard-working staff have not been paid,” she said.
The union has advised members at the school to turn up for work.
Matthews said Brindabella staff were feeling devastated and betrayed by the school’s failure to pay them on time. “There have been problems with superannuation before, but this is the first time wages haven’t been paid,” she said. “This is very worrying for everyone.”
The failure to pay staff on time follows court action launched last week by the Australian Taxation Office over an $8 million tax debt, which included penalties for not paying super to staff on time.
Last week, the school was issued with a 14-day show cause notice by the ACT government. The school has also been investigated over a spate of governance and financial breaches.
Brindabella has more than 1200 students at its two campuses. Tuition fees in 2025 range from $10,575 a year for K-4 and $15,400 for Years 9-12.
Matthews said the school’s worsening financial situation was puzzling given it receives both government funding and income from tuition fees.
“Staff have no idea whether this is a short-term problem, one or two days, or whether it’s one or two weeks, or one or two months,” she said. “It’s shocking and totally unreasonable of the college administration not to be much franker about the depth of the problem.”
Contacts
IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Carol Matthews 0418 272 902
Media: Monica Crouch 0486 046 975 monica@ieu.asn.au
The IEUA NSW/ACT Branch represents over 32,000 teachers, principals and support staff in Catholic and independent schools, early childhood centres and post-secondary colleges.
Authorised by Carol Matthews, IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary