Politics

Government announces huge crackdown on NDIS frauds

Jul 24, 2018

The taskforce will be made up of 100 dedicated personnel. Source: Sky News/Getty.

A new taskforce has been launched to combat fraudsters who are rorting the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), with Social Services Minister Dan Tehan warning “come after the NDIS, we will come after you”.

The NDIS Fraud Taskforce will be made up of 100 dedicated staff members, with the aim of cracking down on crooks who rort the NDIS for cash, ultimately taking money away from Australians with disabilities.

It will be run as a joint operation between the Department of Human Services, the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and attempt to tackle fraud through combined law enforcement efforts, increased information sharing and analytics and enhanced connections across government .

Speaking at the launch of the scheme in Canberra on Tuesday, Tehan said: “We want to ensure that that money goes to those people who need it, people with a disability. We do not want that money going, in particular, to organised criminals who will seek to exploit, sadly, any system that the government puts in place.

“That’s why we’re established an NDIS Fraud Taskforce to target anyone who seeks to exploit the National Disability Insurance Scheme.”

.@DanTehanWannon : We do not want NDIS money to go to organised criminals who will seek to exploit any system that the government puts in place. Thus, we are establishing a NDIS fraud taskforce.

MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK #amagenda pic.twitter.com/UbW08Id6bB

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 23, 2018

The scheme is currently worth $8 billion, but is predicted to grow to a whopping $22 billion by 2022 and up to $27 billion in the next decade.

“The Government knows that most people are honest and only claim what they are entitled to,” Minister for Human Services Michael Keenan said. “But there is always a minority who will seek to exploit the system and we must remain vigilant to ensure the NDIS remains viable and that taxpayer funds are only supporting those who genuinely need it.”

While Law Enforcement Minister Angus Taylor said that large pots of money, such as the taxpayer funded NDIS, always attract criminal activity, and slammed fraudsters who he said are “ripping off genuine claimants and every Australian taxpayer.”

Tehan added: “The Government takes fraud very seriously, and people who commit fraud against the NDIS are taking money from Australians with a disability — which will not be tolerated.

“The NDIS will only succeed with the support of the Australian people who fund it, and the NDIS Fraud Taskforce will help give people confidence their money is well spent .”