The National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS logo is seen at the head office in Canberra, on June 22, 2022. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Police have charged a second public servant with what they allege is fraud totalling millions of dollars from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The 39-year-old woman from Lee Point, near Darwin, allegedly used her position as a public servant to enable corrupt conduct.
Investigators had already charged a 47-year-old-man with corruption and abuse of public office offences in February of this year.
The woman has been charged with five offences: intention to dishonestly obtain a financial benefit, corruption as a Northern Territory Officer, obtaining a benefit with deliberate deception, dishonestly obtaining a gain from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and accessing protected National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) information.
Police arrest the 39-year-old Darwin woman, jointly accused of fraudulently obtaining as much as $18 million from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Courtesy of the Australian Federal Police
The charges carry maximum sentences of between 7 and 10 years imprisonment.
The investigation, by the government’s Fraud Fusion Taskforce (FFT), began in October of last year with the seizure of documents and electronic devices from a home and two business premises in the Northern Territory.
Forensic analysis of the seized items linked the Darwin woman to the alleged offending.
Police say the woman conspired with the man, also from Darwin, to use her government position to refer vulnerable members of the community to an NDIS business they both owned.
They allege that since 2019, the pair has claimed more than $28 million in NDIA funding through their NDIS business, with about $18 million of the claims identified as allegedly suspicious. The claims are believed to involve services that should have been provided to children.
Department of Children and Families Chief Executive Brent Warren said the department had cooperated fully with the investigation, providing information and internal records.
“The safety and wellbeing of children and families is our priority, and we take any matters that may compromise this extremely seriously,” Warren said. “As soon as we were aware of the allegations, we acted immediately. The former staff member has since resigned from the department.
“We have reviewed relevant referrals and decisions to ensure appropriate processes were followed and children and families received the support they needed [and] and strengthened our systems and practices for managing conflicts of interest and overseeing and approving supports for children in care with disability.”
AFP Detective Inspector Aidan Milner said the strong collaboration of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce was vital to disrupt anyone who sought to exploit Commonwealth payments designed to assist some of Australia’s most vulnerable communities.
The arrest is the latest in a list of people arrested for defrauding the NDIS, including a North Queensland crime syndicate found to have $94,000 in cash as well as gold and silver sovereign coins, estimated to be worth more than $82,000, and a Sydney man charged with defrauding the scheme of $3.5 million.
