INTHEBLACK May 2026 - Magazine - Page 34
MEMBER PROFILE
Its work resulted in hundreds of thousands
of tax refunds being sent to vulnerable
taxpayers and tax debts being corrected
or written off. It has accepted referrals from
more than 30 community organisations and
has collaborated with the Western Australia
Department of Justice to service remote
Indigenous communities at Aboriginal
Justice Open Days, as well as visiting prisons
to help inmates with their tax affairs.
The Clinic recently expanded its support
to those experiencing economic and financial
abuse, homelessness and domestic violence,
and helps build financial and tax literacy via
workshops in local high schools and
the broader community.
“We started the clinic as a way of
connecting taxation students with the
community for mutual benefit,” Morgan
explains. “We work with a lot of vulnerable
taxpayers, such as women over the age of
45 who have ended up homeless due to
circumstances out of their control. They may
have completely forgotten that they had a
super fund and that there is money in there
that we can help them access under grounds
of severe financial hardship. Suddenly, they
have some money and that gives them more
choice in their lives. It is so rewarding to see.”
The clinic also helps international students
build their knowledge of the Australian
tax system and assists small businesses
experiencing financial difficulty.
“We help small businesses get their affairs
in order to a point where they can go back
to seeing an accountant who can assist them
going forward, as the financial burden of
being unable to pay for services is relieved,”
says Morgan. “Before they see us, they may
have 5–10 years’ worth of tax returns that
they have not completed and they just do not
have the money to pay an accountant to help
lodge them.”
A TAX DOCTOR
Morgan was 19 when her interest in tax was
sparked. Working in an administrative role
at an accounting firm, she developed a
passion for tax and went on to complete
an accounting and taxation degree, as well
as a Master of Tax Law/Taxation.
“I think the creative side of me was
interested in tax,” she says. “I love the
ability to work with clients to achieve
the best outcomes for them, while always
being mindful of our tax laws. As tax is an
34 INTHEBLACK May 2026
important aspect of all societies — it is the
main source of revenue for governments to
pay their bills — I always say that tax makes
the world go around.”
In 2011, after more than two decades in
public practice, Morgan moved to a full-time
academic role at Curtin University. Through
her work with the Curtin Tax Clinic, she
helps taxation students to gain practical
experience and build valuable skills like
empathy, communication and compassion.
“Accountants are like local doctors, because
we learn so much about people’s personal
situations and we aim to promote their
financial health,” says Morgan. “I always
encourage students to see this side of an
accounting career. We are always going
to be needed. I cannot see a robot handing
someone a tissue when they have just been
told that their business needs to close
or they have a huge tax debt.
“It is also important for accounting
students to be exposed to a wide range
of clients,” adds Morgan. “We work with
people who are really struggling — we
need to help them and it is an important
opportunity to give back. If a student who
has worked at Curtin Tax Clinic for several
years ends up being the managing director
of a Big Four Australian firm, I’d like to
think they would invest in a program like
this, because they have seen how it can
empower and change people’s lives.”
TAX HELP ON THE INSIDE
Morgan’s work takes her to places she
describes as “eye opening”. In 2021, the
Curtin Tax Clinic began working with
Waalitj Foundation’s ReSet program, which
provides support to people in prison and after
leaving prison.
“We worked with 15 men who had just
been released from prison, and we found that
many had outstanding tax returns, many had
refunds they were entitled to, some had debts
and some had been charged penalties because
they had not been lodging returns.”
Morgan and her team assisted these men
to request penalty remissions or reduction
of interest charges, and brought their tax
affairs into order. They accessed information
about the men’s superannuation funds to help
them consolidate multiple accounts, and also
assisted in getting ATO-held superannuation
transferred to their own super fund accounts.
“It made me think: ‘Why are we helping
