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Your email address will not be published.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

Father Bob ousted from his own charity is alleged ‘blindside’

Well-known Victorian priest and charity head, Father Bob Maguire, is claiming he was blindsided by his organisation when he was stood down as Chairman, causing a media flurry. Read More

Hospitals and aged care homes hit by crippling cyber attack

A number of hospitals and aged care facilities in Australia have lost all access to their IT systems after a crippling cyber attack took over their digital services. Read More

Happy 100 th to Bill Richardson – a man of language

Dr. William Richardson, a pillar of the academic community, has touched countless lives through his dedication to language and education. From teaching Spanish and Portuguese at Flinders University to receiving a PhD at 87, his journey is truly inspiring. Read More
Advertisement
Exit mobile version