My request to Senator Xenophon

Sent: 18 November 2009
Dear Senator,
May I firstly congratulate you on your brave statements against the Church of Scientology in the Senate. The human rights abuses by that organisation are well documented and known.

I now turn to an issue of my own, which politicians in NSW are too afraid to discuss.

I have been reporting on issues at the Carenne Special School in Bathurst, NSW for some time. This arose from a misleading statement to the NSW parliament in relation to the legal representation of a government contractor. It was later discovered that Verity Firth had not only misled the parliament but also opposition education minister, Adrian Piccoli.

A group of concerned staff at the school met with myself in Bathurst to discuss issues at the school. During this meeting they told me in the past they had made a number of complaints about child protection issues but were told they were being stupid. This exact complaint is presently the subject of court action as a student claims he was involved in a sexual relationship with a teacher at the school. This meeting was publicised on Sydney Indymedia and staff were then threatened with police action and told Sydney Indymedia was an illegal website.

Evidence also surfaced that Gerard Martin, state member for Bathurst leaked a whistleblower's complaint to the school due to Michael Auld, a teacher at the school being a member of his Labor party branch.

Claims that Carenne Special School was ignoring child protection guidelines were strengthened when it revealed that a teacher by the name of Matt Casey had been employed at the school without screening checks being done. The School Education Director claimed that this was simply an "oversight".

Evidence then came out that the school-based charity come profitable business at the centre of the Carenne Gate affair had misled the Bathurst community during a fundraising appeal in 2004/5 for buses to be purchased for the school. It was then revealed that the school didn't own them but this "charity" directed by selected Carenne staff and parents. The negligence by this organisation and Carenne staff was revealed when it was discovered they hadn't been performing therapy on a student despite being paid for it.

Reports were then made about how the NSW Department of Education and Training had attributed an anonymous ICAC complaint to whistleblower Brian Carter. A false document created by former Carenne Special School principal Lynette Duncan was also revealed.

It was then alleged that the local schools director had ordered a cover-up into the restraining of Autistic students and locking them in an area known as the pig pen.

The DET then claimed that the dismissal of whistleblower Brian Carter was due to child protection issues, despite previous claims to the contrary. It was also revealed that former Carenne Special School principal and director of the charity had threatened both Mr Carter and Daniel Bowen that unless they went quietly they would face reprisals.

Claims by former principal Lynette Duncan in relation to $3.7m in federal funding were located in the local paper where she said part of the funding would be used for an external organisation - RDA.

There is also evidence that the school's charity which has a contract with the NSW DET was fraudulently claiming for bus services resulting in significant overpayments.

When a user of Indymedia contacted Bathurst MP Gerard Martin yesterday, he received the attached response. The response pretty much says that people outside Mr Martin's electorate are not able to comment on what happens at Carenne, despite us being tax payers and there being significant child protection and corruption issues.

There has also been evidence that the Bathurst Police have been used to harass whistleblowers and Indymedia journalists, that Lee Churches (an assistant principal and director of the charity) harassed whistleblowers and parents on the Sydney Indymedia website all of which have been ignored.

I ask you to at least mention Mr Martin's comments in the senate if possible. I would like the entire issues raised but this may not be possible.

Regards,
Julie Brown
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In response to your e-mail the 17^th of the 11^th regarding Carenne special school I make the following observations.
I have always been and will continue to be a strong supporter of the school.
The fact that something has been revealed on Indymedia does not make it true. I am aware of many libellous and untrue statements posted on that website. I am Also intrigued as to how and why people who do not live in the area have no knowledge or links to the school can add to the mischievous innuendo and rumour.
I am confident that the departmental and police investigations will reveal the true story. In the meantime the genuine and honest supporters of Carenne school will continue to support the school as it goes about its very important work