Based in the heart of Hobart, University of Tasmania graduate Henry Song has found an ideal way to use his skills to give something back to the community, both to current students, and the broader public.
Having graduated with his Master of Professional Accounting, Henry is the administrator of the University’s Tax Clinic, where members of the public can receive free taxation advice and services.
The clinic is staffed by student volunteers, who are studying degrees in accounting, finance, business management and marketing, and are supervised by qualified and experienced educators.
The clinic allows students to put what they’ve learned into practice, while also being a service to real clients.
“The tax clinic’s primary purpose is to help people in the community, particularly those in lower income brackets, to do their own tax affairs,” Henry said.
“It’s a free service we do on a range of services including tax returns. We also advise individuals and newly developed small businesses on their tax planning, and we help people with disputes with the ATO.”
When Henry commenced his studies at the University of Tasmania in 2019, he started out studying for a Master of Business Administration. But halfway through that first year, he switched to a Master of Professional Accounting instead.
“Before I decided to make that switch, I thought my interests had always been in health science. I didn’t realise that my heart was in accounting after all!”
Henry said he loved Hobart for its combination of modest-sized city and fresh air, and the Tax Clinic’s location in the Vodafone Centre, on the corner of Liverpool St and Bathurst St, was perfect for its purposes.
“It’s a really small city, everybody knows each other, everybody’s so friendly down here. And because it’s a small city, it’s actually really convenient for you to go everywhere you want.
“(The Tax Clinic) sits right in the middle of the city, so we can reach out to the community much better. We have clients who work in the city, they can just pop by, for example, during lunch time or just after work.”
If you’re looking to gain some experience in the tax profession, have you considered applying for an internship at the University’s Tax Clinic?