Neil Moon's favourite bus driver caught breaking the law again

Neil Moon's favourite bus driver at Carenne, Steve Minshull has been caught breaking the law by parking his bus in a loading zone outside the old TAFE building in William Street, Bathurst at 10:40AM today.

The photograph clearly shows Capebase's vehicle illegally parked in a loading zone while Mr Minshull went in to nearby shops. This is despite there being plenty of parking along the sides of the street. It would appear that Mr Minshull either can not reverse park or is just too lazy to walk an extra few meters.

Mr Minshull has been previously reported on this blog for being erratic and incompetent.

When contacted by Carenne Gate, "Blayney Lady", a parent with a student on Mr Minshull's bus said she wasn't surprised that Steve was caught out parking illegally. She said that before Steve started she was contacted by Neil Moon who talked him up. "Neil told me he was a fantastic driver, far better than Craig Graham was and he had experience working with difficult children."

It is yet another case showing how incompetence prevails at Carenne Special School under the leadership of Neil Moon.

Neil Moon warned of issues with Backtracks: Parent & Staff

This afternoon special needs students and staff from Bathurst High School were injured when a bus used by the Backtracks Outdoor Recreation Program swerved off the road and rolled. Carenne teacher "chello" told Carenne Gate that both her and a parent had complained to Neil Moon about Backtracks in the past.

Chello claims that she told Neil Moon that she was concerned about the state of the bus, which she believed was unroadworthy and that Jim, an employee of Backtracks drove erratically. She said that Neil Moon told her he would look into it.

A parent contacted by Carenne Gate said that her son was often worried about going to Backtracks because of the way Jim drove and that she had raised this with Neil Moon who said he would report it.

Obviously Neil Moon didn't report the issues and did nothing, as we have come to expect from him.

Carenne Support and the Code of Conduct

Officers of Carenne Support past and present including Lee Churches, Geoff Salmon, Christine Porter and Mary Housler have posted on this blog under the belief that they are only contractors to the department and are not subject to the department's Code of Conduct. Every time Mary Housler has posted that there is nothing that can be done to her for posting on this blog I read with bemusement.

As an administrator of this blog I have access to the logs and as an official of the department I have access to communication between those named and myself. The logs match the IP addresses used by them, quite foolishly when they believe they can't be traced. EPAC is well aware of their identities and continues to do nothing because the issues surrounding former ex-employees Jenny O'Neill and Brian Carter have caused "undue stress and anxiety" on those associated with Carenne Support. Seeing as they won't take action they must be publicly prodded to do something.

The belief that Carenne Support is not subject to the Code of Conduct is completely incorrect, part 3.3 says:

Contractors, consultants and volunteers working with the Department of Education and Training must be aware of this Code and act in line with the conduct described in it. While contractors, consultants and volunteers are not subject to disciplinary action, conduct that would be assessed as being a serious breach of the Code of Conduct may result in their contract being terminated.

Well there's the bad news for Carenne Support and the department. Readers of this blog will know that there have been more than a serious breach of the Code of Conduct, it has been obliterated by Carenne Support. Has their contract been terminated? Of course not.

Just to make it easier for my friends at EPAC, here are some specific examples of breaches by Carenne Support officials which have been let go:

1. The bus fraud;
2. The supply of legal services to Carenne Support free;
3. Terry Mahony being a director of the company and principal of the school at the same time;
4. Christine Porter interfering in internal school business such as staffing and school committees;
5. Mary Housler, Lee Churches and Geoff Salmon abusing parents and other people on this blog;
6. Mary Housler, Lee Churches and Geoff Salmon leaking confidential information on this blog;
7. Geoff Salmon making a full admission to attempting to carjack a whistleblower;
8. Destruction of evidence by Christine Porter, Lee Churches and Geoff Salmon;
9. Christine Porter presenting herself as a departmental employee when she is not;
10. Christine Porter being allowed to use school telephones, printers, internet and computers for Carenne Support business;
11. Christine Porter's plagiarism during her Powered for Participation workshop;
12. The treatment of employees;
13. Lying to the police and departmental investigators; and
    
14. Attempting to make Carenne Support look as though it is an integral part of the school.

It's time the department take action against Carenne Support for its serious and continual breaches of the Code of Conduct.

Another organisation for disabled children in Bathurst is a farce

My contact with Melinda Phillips who runs the Interchange respite service in Bathurst has discovered it to be another farce which believes it is above the law and do what it likes in a similar vain to Carenne Special School in Bathurst. Just like Carenne, there have been allegations of information leaks and of a sexual relationship between a worker and client.

A whistleblower employed at Interchange contacted Carenne Gate to report some of the goings on at the service which I attempted to discuss with Ms Phillips who refused to respond. According to staff at Carenne she did however contact Neil Moon at Carenne saying that she had been contacted by Carenne Gate.

It has been alleged that Samantha Durham at Interchange has been publicly releasing information about clients, some of which has ended up on this blog. This same person was also reported to have been in a sexual relationship with a client to the knowledge of Ms Phillips and other staff at the service. Only a single whistleblower made a proper report to the NSW Ombudsman about her conduct.

Yet another organisation dealing with vulnerable children associated with Carenne has shown itself to be inept and needing a serious overhaul.

Corrupt and incompetent driver becomes Carenne's music teacher

Steve Minshull, the corrupt and incompetent bus driver for the Blayney run has become Carenne's new music teacher. Mr Minshull has a long association with the Carenne KLAN, with Simone Russell conspiring with him to defraud the Special Needs Transport Service and a personal friendship with Ros Luther.

Carenne klansmen turned whistleblower nedkelly told Carenne Gate that she was very worried about Mr Minshull being the school's new music teacher. "This is a f---whit who had a kid taken off his bus because he assaulted him in the corridor of the school. Neil Moon is a f---whit for making him the music teacher," said nedkelly.

A parent with a student on his bus also questioned the move. "I can't understand how someone who drives with a student in the front seat leaning over him can possibly receive a job at the school, Steve is overly familiar with some students its not right. When I raised this with Neil Moon I was told to stop being a drama queen," said the parent.

Carenne Gate has learned that besides working at Carenne on Tuesdays, Steve also offers lessons at Millthorpe Public School. It is disturbing that such a person is even allowed around children given his past history.

Qualifications mean nothing to Carenne

For a long time now it has been known that Carenne employs nepotistic practices when employing staff. Some time ago, Janelle Kemp's niece Laurie Clifford (then Healey) was given a permanent position at the school over staff who had far more experience and who were properly qualified.

According to the Western Advocate, Mrs Clifford received a Graduate Diploma of Inclusive Education from Charles Sturt University, completing her special education training. According to the paper she has been employed at Carenne since 2007.

Even more disturbing is the fact that Clifford was appointed relieving assistant principal while Terry Neal took a trip to the top end to avoid attending court. How could someone who isn't even special education trained be given an assistant principal's position and expected to be part of the Carenne executive?

How many other staff at Carenne are not properly qualified for their job? Given the mass of issues at the school you would think that it would be important to have staff that are trained to do the job they are performing.

How to get sacked from Carenne - report Michael Auld

Carenne Gate has learned of the shafting of a casual teacher's aide who spoke out about Michael Auld. Zach Baker, a promising young aide at the school has been offered no work this term, after he posted the following to this blog on 3 April:

This might be a bit crazy because I'm under the weather. You
write about Mick hacking in as omerta but the guy is dumb like
real dumb so how did he do it. hes a jerk that bloke always
stuff arsing about.

Mr Auld's actions must have been weighing heavily on Mr Baker's mind prompting him to speak out while he was intoxicated.

It seems as though Michael Auld, known as one of Neil Moon's puppetmasters is protected at Carenne and has been under successive principals. According to nedkelly, a long list of people including Jane Booby, John Mackey, Brian Carter, Nathan Carter, Kelly Thompson, Jenny O'Neill and now Zach Baker have been shafted for complaining about Michael Auld.

"I was used to break a number of people because they had got on Michael's list," said nedkelly.

Carenne remains the place of cover-ups, deception and shafting as it has always been.

It's sad that a promising young person such as Zach Baker can be thrown aside to protect an incompetent and corrupt teacher like Michael Auld.

Carenne Support defrauds the RTA

To many, this story will come as no surprise. Carenne Support has a history of fraud - defrauding the Bathurst community to obtain $120,000 worth of buses, defrauding ADHC and defrauding DET.

Carenne Gate can reveal that for six years, Carenne Support has claimed a registration concession from the RTA for their vehicles, saving them in excess of $600 per year, per vehicle. Carenne Support has claimed a concession for the vehicles being passenger vehicle used by a welfare or community transport organisation solely or principally for the transport of people with intellectual or mobility impairment. The concession is not available to government agencies or private operators.

Carenne Support is neither a welfare nor a community transport organisation.

After a chat with the RTA on Friday, I was advised that Carenne Support was certainly not eligible for a concession, particularly after their $130,000+ per year income from the vehicles was considered. The RTA advised that Carenne Support had most probably defrauded the state and breached the Motor Vehicle Taxation and Registration Acts. They claimed someone would of signed the registration concession form and that this person could be charged with making a false declaration.

On top of this, DET Snitch advised that SNTS rules require vehicles used under the scheme to be registered for "Business Use". It seems that once again, the department is giving special treatment to its corrupt contractor.

It's good to see our taxes being put to good use supporting a corrupt organisation such as Carenne Support. Charges should be laid against every director of Carenne Support for this latest fraud, but I won't be holding my breath waiting.