Newcastle Tax Clinic

The University of Newcastle Tax Clinic opened in 2022 with the aim of providing a range of targeted tax services for the benefit of unrepresented and disadvantaged individual and small business taxpayers across the Hunter region.

Advice and assistance are provided to clients of the Tax Clinic by students from the Newcastle Business School and Newcastle Law School under the supervision of experienced tax practitioners and academic staff.

Clients of the University of Newcastle Tax Clinic will be able to access advice and assistance on a wide range of both simple and complex tax matters, including:

• using MyGov
• lodging tax returns
• tax debt repayments
• responding to an ATO notice

Appointments are available in person, via phone or video conferencing including Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

All assistance provided by the University of Newcastle Tax Clinic is free and confidential.

What the Tax Clinic will provide

1. Pro-bono advice, assistance and representation on tax-related matters including lodgement, debt, review and appeal rights, and general tax dealings with the ATO.
2. Educational activities and community education to inform students, taxpayers, and not for profit organisations on matters of taxation interest and concern.
3. Advocate on behalf of clients when taxation related issues are identified in their dealings with regulatory or government agencies.

Individuals across the region from low-income, single-parent families, older, and Indigenous populations are more likely to benefit from services provided by the Tax Clinic. According to the 2016 Census, Newcastle and the Hunter region have a higher proportion compared to the state average for:

• People with lower median weekly personal income ($512 versus $662 for NSW)
• People over 60 years of age (25.1% versus 21.9% for NSW)
• Single Parent Families (4.7% versus 4.2% for NSW)
• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people (4.8% versus 2.9% for NSW)

Am I eligible?

The University of Newcastle Tax Clinic will be reserved for those that have experienced financial hardship, have a low income and cannot afford to appoint a tax agent to represent them in their tax affairs.

Your eligibility will be established at your first appointment.

Location & appointments

Consultation is by appointment only. To request an appointment, please email us with your name and phone number and a member of our team will contact you.

• Email: taxclinic@newcastle.edu.au
• Phone: +61 2 4921 5030
• Location: Level 2, NUspace, The University of Newcastle, Hunter St & Auckland St, Newcastle NSW 2300

The Outreach Program

The Tax Clinic will also provide an outreach program for people who are unable to attend the in-person clinic in Newcastle.

The outreach program will use:

• Pop-up Clinics
• The Mobile Tax Clinic
• Online technology to ensure the most isolated groups with the poorest access to advice will have access to the Clinic in their homes, at hospital or in residential care.

A particular effort will be made to access Indigenous and other low-income communities including Muswellbrook and Cessnock.

The Tax Clinic also works closely with the University of Newcastle Legal Centre.

Career-ready placements

The Newcastle Business School and Newcastle Law School operate four courses in taxation law with an annual intake of approximately 300 students. Student placements in the Tax Clinic will be offered as part of Newcastle Business School’s career-ready placements program. This program offers opportunities for students to deal with live clients and respond to their needs under the supervision of experienced tax practitioners and academic staff.

Career-ready placement Requirements:

• Students wishing to participate in the Tax Clinic will be required to have completed foundational training in taxation prior to applying for a placement in the Tax Clinic.
• Students will be required to lodge a formal application for a placement in the Tax Clinic and attend an interview.
• Students will complete a minimum of 100 hours of work.

About the University of Newcastle Tax Clinic

The University of Newcastle Tax Clinic is part of the National Tax Clinic Program – an Australian Government initiative.

We also acknowledge the generous support from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Financial Planning Association of Australia.