Navigating Key Laws & Guidelines & Implementing Best Practice Policies and Communications to Optimise Debt Recovery in Line with School Values
| Date | 6 August 2025 |
| Time | 12.00pm-2.30pm AEST (Syd/Mel/Bris time) |
| Venue | Live Online with recording (recording access expires 6 September 2025) |
| Pricing | $440 Prices includes gst. |
| Sector | Non-State Schools |
| CPD | Addresses 7.2 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. |
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Program
12.00 LawSense Welcome
12.05 Chairperson’s Introduction
Louise Tolson, General Counsel, Carey Baptist Grammar School
12.10 Understanding Your Legal Rights and Obligations, Including Navigating Enrolment, Consumer Law and Separated Parents
Outlining Key Laws
- Outlining key laws relevant to debt recovery in schools, including:
- contract law (enrolment)
- Australian Consumer Law
- family law
- debt recovery laws and guidelines
Consumer Law and Implications of Recent Cases for Schools [
- Understanding the application of Consumer law and how it can affect recovery of fees
- Examining recent cases and how schools have come unstuck
Interest, Late Payment Charges and Costs
- Understanding legal options and restrictions in charging interest or late fees
- Recovering other costs of debt recovery
Rights and Obligations in Debt Recovery Involving Separated Parents
- Examining the implications on recovery of fees where parents separate after student enrolment
- Understanding and interpreting relevant court orders
Optimising Enrolment Contracts
- Implementing key clauses in your enrolment contract to:
- ensure compliance with Consumer laws
- effectively manage issues arising from separated parents
- including clauses to allow the recovery of interest, fees and other costs
- implement learnings from recent cases
- optimise debt recovery
Ben Tallboys, Principal, Russell Kennedy; Legal Counsel, Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA)
1.25 Implementing Best Practice Policies and Communications to Optimise Fee Recovery in Line with School Values
- Exploring the role of school values in developing and implementing fee recovery policies
- Responding to common reasons or arguments raised by parents for delayed payment or non-payment
- Optimising meetings with parents and exploring the potential role of mediation
- Examining options and best practice with payment plans
- Understanding debt collection laws and guidelines in recovering fees
- Implementing best practice at different points, including optimum communications:
- school response after initially missing the payment date
- non-payment after reminders
- escalation after non-payment
- Exploring templates for communications at different stages
- Briefing and managing debt recovery agents to optimise recovery and ensure practices consistent with school values
Suzanne Rieschieck, Principal, Debt Recovery Lead, Russell Kennedy
Louise Tolson, General Counsel, Carey Baptist Grammar School
2.25 Chairperson’s Conclusion
2.30 Event Close
Presenters / panelists include:
Ben Tallboys provides sector-specific, practical legal solutions to schools across Australia. Ben is a passionate and effective advocate for principals dealing with complex matters relating to parents, staff and students, as well as their own employment.
Suzanne Rieschieck is a general commercial litigator, focusing on the Property, Building and Construction, Retirement Living and Education industries. She has experience in a vast range of disputes relevant to these industries, including with respect to leasing, adverse possession, breach of contract, defective building work, expert determinations, fee disputes, Australian Consumer Law matters and some defamation. Suzanne also has experience in Corporations Act matters involving Oppression, breach of director’s duties and insolvency.