Jade Miller, Bianca Bates, Paul Somers & Olga Cahill
Australia’s leading salary packaging provider Smart has donated more than $40,000 to Northern Beaches based children’s charity Stewart House, supporting the charity as it marks 95 years of service in 2026.
The donation will help Stewart House continue its long-standing work providing health, wellbeing and support services to disadvantaged children from NSW and ACT public schools, funding programs for around 16 children this year including dental, optical and hearing checks, counselling and other wraparound care.
Smart recently introduced their ‘Three Months of Giving’ campaign to celebrate the launch of workplace giving for NSW Department of Education employees and promote the ongoing opportunities to donate. Workplace giving makes it easier for employees to support the department’s charity of choice, Stewart House, via pre-tax donations through their salary packaging arrangement with Smart.
As part of the campaign, Smart pledged to make a donation to Stewart House for every new novated lease taken out by the department’s employees during the three months to the end of December 2025.
Stewart House CEO Paul Somers said the partnership between Stewart House and the NSW Department of Education is one of the longest-running workplace giving schemes with a government department.
“Through the introduction of workplace giving via Smart, we have a fantastic opportunity to build on decades of support and grow regular donations, ensuring this vital program remains free to public school children who need it most,” Mr Somers said.
Smart Chief Customer Officer Bianca Bates said the campaign was a great demonstration of how Smart partners with its clients to drive positive impact in the community.
“In addition to the funds we are donating, this campaign has highlighted to the department’s employees how simple it is to make regular donations from their pre-tax salary, providing an ongoing source of donations for Stewart House throughout the year,” Ms Bates said.
“We have a longstanding partnership with the NSW Department of Education to help their employees maximise their take-home pay via salary packaging. It’s a real privilege to be able to extend on that relationship to support Stewart House with their fundraising efforts and give back to our community in a meaningful way.”
The majority of Stewart House funding comes from teachers and educators within the department, enabling it to provide holistic care and support to 1,600 NSW and ACT public school students in need each year. NSW public education system teachers and staff contribute around $1.2 million through fortnightly salary deductions, while school-based fundraising adds about $300,000. The remaining funds come from personal and corporate donations and private grants.
About Smart
Smart is an Australian employee benefits company and is the nation’s leading salary packaging and novated leasing provider. Smart helps people keep more of what they earn. Smart works with around 3,300 employers across government, health, education, charity and corporate sectors who collectively employ 2.5 million people. Our teams combine specialist expertise with simple digital tools and a customer-first mindset to deliver clear financial benefits and service people can trust.
Visit www.smart.com.au to learn more.
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