May 11, 2022

Carer ordered to repay $108,000 to Centrelink after failing to declare income

Maroochydore nurse Karen Delores Swartz, 59, received the Centrelink assistance between January 2014 and March 2019 even though she had gained employment and was no longer entitled to the allowance.

The court heard Ms Swartz had failed to notify Centrelink of her change in employment status.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) discovered she was receiving the payments after the ATO did a data match in 2018, according to media reports.

The 59-year-old pleaded guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception.

She was sentenced to three years in jail, but released on a five-year good behaviour recognisance. She was ordered to repay the $108,753.76 she had obtained illegally.

Ms Swartz’s defence lawyer, Mark Dixon, said his client, a nurse, had been caring for her elderly mother while she herself was suffering from depression. 

Mr Dixon said if his client had served jail time she would have had to sell her home, causing a major upheaval for her family. 

Judge Nathan Jarro described Ms Swartz’s actions as “greedy” and “deceitful” and noted she used a separate bank account for the additional income. 

Convictions have been recorded against Ms Swartz. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Respite is booming, but fewer stays are converting

Respite usage hit a record high in August, but fewer of those stays are converting into permanent care than at any point in the Mirus Australia series. We break down what's driving the split between rising respite volume and falling conversion, and what it signals for occupancy planning into FY27. Read More

Elderly couple dies one year apart, suspected to share the same murderer

South Australia Police believe the same person murdered an elderly couple who died a year apart. Read More

Bill Shorten hits out: “The government spent more money on lawyers to stop Liam Danher getting a life-saving seizure mat than the mat cost itself”

The grieving family of 23-year-old Liam Danher has written to the Disability Minister demanding answers after Liam was denied life-saving equipment from the NDIS to save his life. Read More
Advertisement
Exit mobile version