Sarah, a former employee who began working at PAWS Darwin in 2021, expressed her dedication to the charity's mission of rescuing abandoned and surrendered pets. "We saved animals that would have otherwise been euthanised, we helped people whose animals were requiring expensive surgeries that they couldn't afford," she said.

However, in September 2024, Sarah received a letter from her superannuation fund warning that her policy was at risk of cancellation due to a full year without contributions. She described the discovery as "deeply hurtful and disappointing," especially given her commitment to the work.

Sarah and other former employees have spoken out about being short-changed on their superannuation, with the total unpaid amount estimated at $150,000. Additionally, staff under 18 years old claim that the superannuation accounts PAWS promised to create for them never existed.

After resigning, Sarah re-notified the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) about the lack of super payments, which had first been alerted to the ATO in 2024.

Nicki Petrou, director of the NT Working Women's Centre, a legal service supporting women on work-related issues, described the superannuation debt accrued by PAWS as "significant" for a small charity. She also highlighted the broader issue, noting, "When you look at how much super is owed to Australian workers for the '23-'24 period, it was more than $6 billion dollars."

In response, Ms Leek stated, "If administrative or payroll errors occurred, those matters should be assessed in the context of the payroll systems operating at the time rather than being characterised as deliberate deception without supporting evidence."

Former employees expressed frustration, with one saying, "Every single pay slip they claimed they were paying me x amount of super and it is disgusting that they didn't." Another reflected, "I was only there for nine months; I would hate to think about the people that were there years."

The issue has raised concerns about the financial management practices within PAWS Darwin and the protection of workers' rights.

Sources

ABC Australia News