Union says concerns over former Milingimbi School principal’s conduct raised years prior to ICAC complaint

The union representing NT education staff says ”serious concerns” were raised about the conduct of a former remote school principal years prior to a complaint being lodged with the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

THE union representing NT education staff says ”serious concerns” were raised about the conduct of a former remote school principal at least two years prior to a complaint being lodged with the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

The Australian Education Union NT (AEU NT) said while it welcomed Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Ken Fleming’s investigation, which alleged former Milingimbi School principal Jennifer Lea Sherrington spent $507,796 over four years on travel for ‘other school business’, the union had brought attention to the principal’s conduct in 2017.

“Serious concerns relating management of Milingimbi School were first brought to the attention of the AEU NT Branch in mid-2017, when two teachers and AEU members employed at the school contacted our office with numerous and detailed complaints about practices within the school. Our members’ allegations were provided in writing and detailed,” a statement read.

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“AEU senior officers provided these allegations to senior DoE officers in August 2017, who agreed to investigate them. An external investigator was appointed. He visited Milingimbi at least once and produced a report for the Department in November 2017, which, our officers subsequently learned, found that the allegations were not substantiated. This outcome was confirmed to the employees who had made the complaint via letter from a senior departmental officer in December 2017. Our officers were not provided with a copy of this report. The principal continued in her role until the end of 2019.

“Many of the concerns our members raised in 2017 are reflected in the ICAC investigation’s findings … Whether the allegations could be substantiated at the time or not, it is concerning that the principal was able to continue with practices that were later found to be corrupt by the ICAC Commissioner.

“We have been informed since the release of the ICAC report that the principal was able to evade budget oversight due to utilising funds from the school’s financial reserves over which the Department has limited visibility. This may mitigate departmental culpability somewhat, however it exposes a glaring hole in financial management practices within NT education, given that NT public schools collectively have well over $100m in school bank accounts.”

In response to Mr Fleming’s investigation, Ms Sherrington denied the allegations and the preliminary letter from her legal representation read: “Ms Sherrington had a cogent and exculpatory explanation for each and every allegation, which explanations she gave in great detail in her examination. Her answers are all available to be read in the transcript, and in her documents supplied at the end of her examination. However, the contents of the draft report confirm she has simply not been heard.”

The AEU NT also stated the investigation exposed serious issues with the global school budget model, which devolves significant autonomy over finance and staffing to principals, and the “ease with which student attendance records can be falsified” with the Department’s attendance-based funding model.

“It goes without saying that the actions of one principal should not detract from the principal cohort,” the AEU NT said.

“We know from direct experience of working closely with principals across our system, that they are overwhelmingly hardworking and ethical individuals who embody the best of the teaching profession. Nonetheless this incident has exposed numerous structural weaknesses within the school governance framework and these need to be addressed.”

In a statement on Monday, Education Department chief executive Karen Weston said Ms Sherrington’s behaviour was not condoned, and that work was underway to meet recommendations made by Mr Fleming.

“The department supports in principle the recommendations made in the report and will respond appropriately to these,” she said.

“Noting that work to meet these recommendations is already underway as part of the department’s work to enhance support to schools.

“We can confirm that the individual’s contract has not been renewed and she has not been working at the school for 18 months, having departed in January 2020.”

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