May 11, 2022

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

Carer forced to pay back Centrelink

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Your email address will not be published.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

Ex-boyfriend jailed for murdering aged care worker

The ex-boyfriend of aged care worker and nursing student, Jasmeen Kaur, has been sentenced to a long stint in prison for her murder with a non-parole period of 22 years and 10 months. Read More

World War 2 veteran honoured with his own street name

South Australian World War 2 veteran Keith Fowler is the last surviving member of Australia’s 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, and he now has another lasting legacy - a street named after him. Read More

Elderly digger makes emotional plea to end ‘oppressive’ vaccine mandates in Australia

An elderly veteran who was forced to watch ANZAC Day celebrations from behind a barbed-wire fence called on the government to put an end to vaccine mandates in front of more than 100 thousand Victorian protestors. Read More
Advertisement