Centrelink on top of
fraud says review

A review of fraud control systems in Centrelink has revealed the Agency to be in step with international best practice.
   Conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology, the review accessed Centrelink data from 1997 to 2010 to analyse methods it used to prevent social security fraud.
   It found the three top areas for fraud convictions were parenting payments (single and partnered), unemployment benefits and disability support, totalling $41 million in debt associated with prosecutions.
   The accompanying report, Responding to welfare fraud: The Australian experience, also includes 17 case studies of people who fraudulently claimed payments from Centrelink.
Responses in line with world standards
   Minister for Human Services, Senator Kim Carr said the report highlighted how cases of fraud had been used to improve detection over the last 30 years.
   “While the vast majority of people are honest in their dealings with the Government, our task is to protect the integrity of the social security and health systems,” Senator Carr said.
   He said the report confirmed that Australia had a world-class compliance system.
   “It also confirms the benefits of strong primary prevention measures to stop frauds before they occur,” Senator Carr said.
   Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice, Jason Clare said Australia had one of the most sophisticated electronic data matching systems in the world.
   “Data matching between government agencies, improved identity verification checks and public tip-off lines all make it harder for criminals to get away with welfare fraud,” Mr Clare said.
   The report can be accessed at this PS News link.
Edition 344, 15 January 2013
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