Post by Banjo on Dec 15, 2011 21:51:31 GMT 7
A merry Xmas for welfare rorters
THOUSANDS of welfare rorters have dodged punishment after Centrelink failed to capitalise on tip-offs.
Centrelink suffered a $40 million slide in the amount of illegally claimed funds it recovered last financial year.
New figures suggest Australians are becoming less resistant to dobbing in mates, with a 10 per cent rise in people turning in family and friends - almost 110,000 tip-offs last year. But Centrelink turned the increased public support into less than half as many criminal prosecutions as in recent years.
While almost 4000 people busted rorting the system had their payments clipped during 2010-11, it was only half as many as the 8000 to 9000 in recent years.
Outgoing Human Services Minister Tanya Plibersek defended the results, with her office insisting they were due to a deliberate new focus on more serious cases of fraud.
"This approach will mean more people who defraud the system deliberately, repeatedly ... will be caught," the minister's spokesman said. The spokesman denied compliance staff had been cut, although almost a third were diverted from normal business during last summer's natural disasters. But the Opposition seized on the data to raise more questions about Centrelink's fraud operations following damning reports over the past 18 months.
In March, the Commonwealth Ombudsman found "systemic weaknesses" with Centrelink after about half of more than 200,000 clients had their account decisions overturned due to bungles.
An Australian National Audit Office report also warned last year that Centrelink might suffer a "significant increase" in fraud after it stopped identifying clients properly to save money.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions warned in the review that the efficiency drive might have compromised prosecutions and the recovery of funds.
Opposition human services spokesman Kevin Andrews yesterday said the first batch of data showed the concerns were vindicated.
"The data shows that Labor is sitting by while rorters continue to swindle Australian taxpayers," he said.
The figures show only 79 referrals were made to the CDPP after 206 and 296 referrals in previous years.
www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/a-merry-xmas-for-welfare-rorters/story-e6frea8c-1226223360625
THOUSANDS of welfare rorters have dodged punishment after Centrelink failed to capitalise on tip-offs.
Centrelink suffered a $40 million slide in the amount of illegally claimed funds it recovered last financial year.
New figures suggest Australians are becoming less resistant to dobbing in mates, with a 10 per cent rise in people turning in family and friends - almost 110,000 tip-offs last year. But Centrelink turned the increased public support into less than half as many criminal prosecutions as in recent years.
While almost 4000 people busted rorting the system had their payments clipped during 2010-11, it was only half as many as the 8000 to 9000 in recent years.
Outgoing Human Services Minister Tanya Plibersek defended the results, with her office insisting they were due to a deliberate new focus on more serious cases of fraud.
"This approach will mean more people who defraud the system deliberately, repeatedly ... will be caught," the minister's spokesman said. The spokesman denied compliance staff had been cut, although almost a third were diverted from normal business during last summer's natural disasters. But the Opposition seized on the data to raise more questions about Centrelink's fraud operations following damning reports over the past 18 months.
In March, the Commonwealth Ombudsman found "systemic weaknesses" with Centrelink after about half of more than 200,000 clients had their account decisions overturned due to bungles.
An Australian National Audit Office report also warned last year that Centrelink might suffer a "significant increase" in fraud after it stopped identifying clients properly to save money.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions warned in the review that the efficiency drive might have compromised prosecutions and the recovery of funds.
Opposition human services spokesman Kevin Andrews yesterday said the first batch of data showed the concerns were vindicated.
"The data shows that Labor is sitting by while rorters continue to swindle Australian taxpayers," he said.
The figures show only 79 referrals were made to the CDPP after 206 and 296 referrals in previous years.
www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/a-merry-xmas-for-welfare-rorters/story-e6frea8c-1226223360625