Terry Mahony lied about not knowing about the student going to Lithgow

Repeated claims to the NSW Department of Education and Training and the Bathurst community that Terry Mahony did not know about a student going to Lithgow on a bus return one day per week have been proven complete lies with the release of a document by blog user 'hatho'.

Hatho supports the Carenne Saviour's claims that Brian Carter had taken the student to Lithgow one day per week return at the advice of Ros Luther and Terry Mahony.

Hatho has supplied a copy of a 'Hazard/Incident Report Form' which shows Mr Mahony knew the student was being taken to Lithgow as early as September 2008.

It provides further proof that Carenne Support will lie to suit their own agenda. Carenne Gate bloggers call on an immediate independent investigation into this organisation.

Documentary evidence demonstrates the Carenne pigpen was used as early as May 2007

Documentary evidence provided by 'hatho' shows that as early as May 2007 Carenne Special School established a yard to hold autistic students when they are distressed. Photographic evidence had previously been posted to this site but a number of staff from Carenne commented that the yard was only used for animals.

In a list of incidents for a particular student, it is shown that Carenne thought it was acceptable practice to lock an autistic student in a yard (called the "pig pen") when he was distressed. The list states that the student was placed in the yard until they had settled.

Terry Mahony's carelessness has exposed DET to financial claims

Former Carenne Special School principal and Director of Carenne Support Limited Terry Mahony has exposed the NSW Department of Education and Training to possible claims for unpaid and underpaid wages.

In a document supplied to the NSW DET Legal department, Mr Mahony claims that he is aware that he may have underpaid Brian Carter. In a letter provided by Mr Carter to Carenne Support (and subsequently forwarded to NSW DET Legal) Mr Carter claims he was underpaid over $10,000. On some occasions, Mr Carter was underpaid by as much as $3.38 per hour.
He was also unpaid for time he was required to be stationary in Lithgow according to his letter.

In a statement prepared by Mr Carter's lawyers and provided to the department's Employee Performance and Conduct unit in 2009, Mr Carter warned the department that Mr Mahony's signing of a claim form as principal (for the company he was a director of) could expose the department to liability for unpaid and underpaid wages under the state Industrial Relations Act as it is Carenne Support's primary contractor.

Despite Mr Mahony signing a statement claiming that Carenne Support had properly paid its employees when it had not, Mr Mahony also signed the form as a representative of the department approving payment. The department was aware that Carenne Support had not properly paid its employees. Mr Mahony's signing of a false contractor statement could also be a criminal offence.

It is unacceptable that the carelessness of Carenne Support can expose the state to financial claims. One must ask why Carenne Support retains its contract with the Department of Education and Training when it has caused so much grief for both the school it claims to help and the wider department.

As another example of how Carenne Support treats its workers, employees were owed superannuation from as far back as 2006 which Carenne Support had never paid. An investigation by the Australian Taxation Office in 2009 revealed that Carenne Support owed this superannuation and required it to pay all employees the owed superannuation plus interest.

Carenne Support job advertisement raises questions

The publication of an advertisement in Bathurst's Western Advocate today has raised questions about how Carenne Support runs its organisation.

The advertisement claims that "Carenne Support is an independent company that uses its profits to benefit the students of Carenne Public School." Just what does Carenne Support believe an independent company to be? Would an independent company be so reliant on the Department of Education and Training?

Confusingly, Carenne Support has charitable status with a number of government organisations but has also in the past claimed it is a trading company in its failed bid to deny whistleblower Brian Carter justice. In the judgment in that case, the judge described Carenne Support as:

Carenne was established in 2004 to improve the therapy services for disabled students at Carenne School. Carenne described itself as a limited liability company having benevolent status for fund raising and taxation purposes.

The judge also noted the reasons that Mr and Mrs Salmon started Carenne Support:

Their interest arose from the needs of their son who was assessed early in his life as being developmentally delayed, mentally and physically. Mr Salmon was of the view that the level of support from therapists, particularly speech therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, was inadequate to meet the needs of young people in the region who had a range of disabilities. There did not appear to be an organisation providing advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged young people and so Mr Salmon took steps to establish an independent charitable organisation that could help provide additional therapy services as well as being an organisation that could represent the interests of this particular group.

Mr Salmon sought funding on the false premise that Carenne Support would provide outreach services to the wider Bathurst area in 2005, taking funding which had been allocated to the Spastic Centre in Orange away from it. This claim appears to be a blatant lie. According to evidence given to the court it was found that:

In February 2006, the Department of Disabilities began allocating funds to Carenne to provide therapy services to fill service gaps that had arisen due to vacant therapy positions in that Department. Since July 2006, Carenne had invoiced the Department for physiotherapy services provided to students attending the Carenne school as well as the student from Bathurst High School.

In five years just one student from outside of Carenne Special School has received therapy from Carenne Support, yet this was the part of the reason they were provided funding by the Department of Disabilities. Mr Salmon said they would provide outreach and it is obvious that they have not.

The structure of the new bus driver/supervisor position also needs to be questioned. Have existing staff been consulted on the change? What effect will this have on existing staff? How can the supervisor supervise themselves? What happens if there is a complaint about the driver, does the driver/supervisor look at it? Why can't their paid CEO Christine Porter look after it, wouldn't it be part of the CEO's role or are they just adding another level of bureaucracy and looking to employ another friend?

As an organisation which has tax exempt and charity status who also receives its income from the government we have a democratic right to question it.

Story removed

Dear Readers,
I have decided to remove Libertarian's article from the blog temporarily until he and I can meet to discuss the potential merits or pitfalls of the article.

Parents appalled at "anti-semitic" newsletter

A number of parents have contacted Carenne Gate bloggers appalled with a photograph of a student holding a Reichskriegsflagge prominently displaying a Swastika in the latest school newsletter. Parents claim the photograph appeared on the page of Kelly Thompson and Angie Cranston's class. Parents say the photograph is anti-semitic, in poor taste and should not have been published in the newsletter.

The newsletter page says that students were learning about World War II with Anzac Day just around the corner but parents aren't impressed.

"I can't believe the poor taste in displaying a student with a Nazi flag with a Swastika on it. Prince Harry got grilled for wearing a Nazi uniform, this is just a disgrace, it is so anti-semitic," said one parent.

"What sort of an idiot would allow this photo to be published in the newsletter, who checks it?" said another parent.

"You might as well fly it on the flag pole at the front of the school, there isn't much difference. What if there is a Jewish parent? How will they feel. These people do not think" said another.

"Just because the school has Nazis in control of it doesn't mean that they need to be parading around a Nazi flag in the newsletter. What an incredible lack of judgment on the principal's part. He ought to be sacked for it."

Another possible Carenne Support bus scam uncovered

Another possible scam involving Carenne Support and its buses which it obtained by deception has been uncovered by Carenne Gate bloggers.

A source told bloggers that she had come across registration papers for the Carenne Support buses which despite earning in excess of $185,000 per year from its bus runs from the Department of Education and Training pays no motor vehicle tax as the usage is claimed to be "For the transport of persons with a disability" (RTA Code HAND).

Under RTA guidelines, only welfare or community transport organisations may apply for HAND vehicle status. The vehicles must be used principally for the transport of people with intellectual or mobility impairment. Vehicles registered to government agencies and private operators are not eligible.

While Carenne Support could argue that their vehicles are used for the transport of intellectual or mobility impaired students, the RTA has told bloggers that they strongly believe that a vehicle used to receive substantial reward would not be granted HAND status.

Carenne Support is however eligible for Charity vehicle registration status which would entitle it to a small motor vehicle tax concession.

It shows yet another possible scam by an organisation which defrauded the Bathurst community to obtain the buses (as the photo shows even the Variety Club thought they were for Carenne School) and has been caught defrauding the NSW Department of Education and Training under its contract.