Following a detailed investigation by the National Disability Insurance Agency and police, charges have been laid against a Sunshine Coast woman for defrauding over $480,000.
According to a report in The Courier Mail, three premises on the Sunshine Coast connected to a Caloundra woman were raided by the Australian Federal Police last week. The woman, 36, is listed as the director of two registered NDIS providers and has subsequently been served with a notice to appear on fraud charges.
The allegations brought forward are in relation to the submission of claims for payment for services not rendered to NDIS participants, to the value exceeding $480,000.
A coalition of members comprised the team behind the investigation, with Services Australia, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and Queensland Police Service also taking part.
Commenting on the matter, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews highlighted that the government had and continues to be committed to catching people intending to defraud the Australian taxpayer.
Weighing in on the greater ramifications of NDIS fraud, of funds being fraudulently diverted away from vulnerable persons who need it most, NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds argued that one dollar fraudulently taken is “one dollar that isn’t received by those who are entitled to NDIS funding”.
“Many NDIS participants rely on their plan funding to access the disability supports to which they are entitled, and that support them to lead the life they choose,” she said.
“That’s something every Australian needs to protect.”
