Unpaid employment and exploitation alleged against Redeemer Baptist School

Media investigations have drawn government attention to a well-known, yet highly secretive, independent Sydney school.

Appearing at the NSW Legislative Council’s first public hearing for the inquiry into the Redeemer Baptist School on 10 August, the Independent Education Union of Australia (IEU) described the school’s allegedly strict, church-aligned practices as unorthodox, controlling, and potentially unsafe.

The inquiry, led by NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd, was triggered by a joint 60 Minutes and The Sydney Morning Herald investigation into longstanding rumours that the school exercised extreme control over its students and failed to pay teachers a salary by categorising them as religious volunteers.

The report also revealed that the school specified underwear colours for its students, dictated which universities they could attend, required unpaid manual work, and demonstrated overall coercive control over community members and staff.

IEU NSW/ACT branch secretary Carol Matthews told the inquiry: “I’m not aware of any other school where core teaching duties are performed by volunteers.”

Matthews further identified the alleged coercion as having “a chilling effect on staff seeking union support”, adding: “Redeemer claims an entitlement to take control of staff property, exerting a high degree of financial control.”

In its inquiry submission, the IEU implied that teachers received pay in accordance with relevant state awards from the school’s establishment in 1981 until the 1990s, whereby this arrangement was replaced with a smaller proportion of the award.

It also referenced an underpayment claim against the school in 2000, whereby one member of staff was paid a set amount of $2,000 – far below the mandated award in that period – and how the 2001 establishment of the Ministry Order saw a greater limitation of, or total absence of, teacher wages.

According to the IEU, one passage of the Order said: “The Church may pay stipends to members of the Order as it determines to provide the support which allows the members to perform the ministry determined for them and is appropriate to their personal needs.”

This and other stipends, the union furthered, did not appear to be applied consistently, but at the discretion of the elders of the church.

Further, it was recognised that Redeemer staff appeared to perform far more work during school holidays at camps and away on weekends than staff at other schools, with non-teaching staff also performing a much wider range of duties than in a typical school.

Regarding the aforementioned identification of staff as volunteers, the union said that the potential misclassification raises questions around employment obligation compliance, including minimum wage, superannuation, leave entitlement, and record keeping – and suggests a breach of both work, health and safety laws, and workers’ compensation laws.

It clarified that teaching, professional, and operational staff working in non-government schools are covered by enterprise agreements for comparable salaries to those in NSW government schools. Further, in the absence of an enterprise agreement, staff are entitled to a minimum federal award and legislated conditions.

The union noted that Redeemer Baptist School staff do not appear to be receiving these minimum conditions.

In addition, former staff allegedly informed the union they had no choice in the performance of work for Redeemer, bringing into consideration issues of slavery-like practices.

Speaking at the inquiry, NSW anti-slavery commissioner Dr James Cockayne referenced a survey featuring the experience of any individuals connected with the school, which found indicators of forced labour.

He explained that “28 per cent of respondents there said they were frequently exposed to dependence on the school or its staff for basic needs – food, housing, employment, education or other essential aspects to daily life”, and that this dependence was exploited.

Further, “22 per cent of respondents claim to have been frequently misled or deceived about the work, services, responsibilities or commitment expected of them”.

“It’s hard to volunteer for something that’s inaccurately described to you,” he said.

Further revelations are anticipated as investigations continue into alleged employment misconduct, with the next inquiry into the Redeemer Baptist School public hearing set for 14 August.

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