As New Hope Group’s Senior Land and Property Officer, Christie Dunstan, regularly dabbles in legalese.

“I have a very diverse role,” Christie said.

“I manage all the land and property around New Acland Mine and Bengalla Mine. This includes the grazing leases, houses, renters and maintenance.

“I’m also the Landholder Liaison Officer for AL19, an 8,100-hectare Assessment Lease to the west of Bengalla Mine.

“A lot of my work crosses over into the legal space, including contracts, legislation, interpretation, and risk. I work with a lot of lawyers, including New Hope Group’s legal team.”

Christie, a married mother of three girls has a degree in Property Valuation, but for the past few years has often thought about returning to university to study law.

“During a routine performance review, I mentioned further study to my manager,” Christie said.

“Given my role and the benefit additional qualifications could provide to both my future and the business, I was encouraged to apply for education assistance, so I could return to university and study law.

“New Hope Group’s education assistance has definitely eased the financial burden and allowed me to focus on my studies at the University of Canberra, where I am halfway through a Graduate Diploma in Law.

“I’m doing so much more than just dabbling in legalese now, I’m learning legal fundamentals, practical legal problem-solving and dispute resolution skills, and discovering how the law engages with and shapes our future.

“But it is a lot of work. I’m working and studying fulltime.

“There is 12 hours of reading to complete each week, and two assignments and one exam every six weeks.

“I study on the train to and from work. I study during my lunchbreak. I even study next to my youngest daughter, Mackenzie, while she completes her homework.

“It’s a big investment in my time, but when you want something bad enough, you make it work.”

Education Assistance

• Education assistance may be provided to an employee where a course is relevant to their current role/career path.
• Reimbursements include: 80% reimbursement of the cost of the subject fees paid by the employee, 80% reimbursement for textbook and course materials up to $200 per unit per semester (up to $800 per annum) and study leave assistance up to two days per subject per semester (up to eight per annum).
• To be eligible for education assistance an employee must have successfully completed six months employment.