Premier’s chief of staff on RSPCA NSW board that was told of staff underpayment
Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s top adviser was on the board of the RSPCA NSW for much of the decade that more than 1600 employees may have been underpaid.
NSW
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Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s top adviser was on the board of the RSPCA NSW for much of the decade that more than 1600 employees may have been underpaid.
Sarah Cruickshank, the Premier’s chief of staff, joined the board of the animal charity almost nine years ago.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed that the charity was warned two years ago that more than 1600 staff had been underpaid sums of “considerable magnitude” across a number of areas since 2009.
Ms Cruickshank and the board of RSPCA NSW was informed of the underpayment.
The board resolved to tell the employees and the Fair Work Ombudsman on February 20 this year — but nothing happened.
After being contacted by the Telegraph the RSPCA said just 19 past and 22 present staff had been underpaid by almost $123,000 and that repayments had started.
Ms Cruickshank declined to comment and referred all questions to the RSPCA NSW, which had previously said the final number of repayments had been reported to the board in July this year.
Ms Cruickshank is the premier’s key adviser after starting her career in the mid-1990s as a staffer for former Howard government minister Brendan Nelson.
She moved into public relations and then worked for a number of government departments before taking the chief of staff role with the Premier in January 2017.
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Charity watchdog The Australian Charities and Not For Profits Commission has been alerted to the underpayments but cannot comment on specific cases.
A spokesman said charity board members were obliged “to act in the best interests of the charity and to ensure the financial affairs of the charity are managed responsibly”.
An RSPCA payroll manager first raised the alarm in 2017 and reported the underpayment prompting charity bosses to hire auditors PwC and lawyers Herbert Smith Freehills to investigate at a cost of $220,000.
The legal firm was hired given concerns at “the magnitude” of the potential pay outs.
A spokesman for RSPCA NSW said: “The RSPCA NSW Board (including Sarah Cruickshank) was first notified of potential errors in June 2017.
“The board immediately requested that an investigation take place to further understand the issues raised and determine next steps in an effort to resolve the matter.
“RSPCA NSW engaged the services of law firm Herbert Smith Freehills and then a global consulting firm who commenced providing advice in relation to the matter.
“A further consultant was engaged to assist with investigating the information and files with a view to resolving the issues. The findings were reported to the Board and as a result, instructions were given to rectify the underpayments.”