Media Release

Can you catch welfare cheats? Extra staff to boost complex Centrelink fraud investigations

28 July 2006

Minister for Human Services, the Hon. Joe Hockey MP, has announced a major a recruitment drive by Centrelink for staff to be part of its welfare fraud crackdown.

Centrelink will recruit up to 380 new staff across Australia over the next twelve months to help the Australian Government detect and investigate instances of welfare fraud.

Advertisements for the first round of recruitment, 40 Analysts and Project staff, will appear in newspapers over the weekend.

"These new staff are part of the Australian Government's $282 million
2006-07 Budget Measure to combat fraud in the welfare and health sectors," Minister Hockey said.

"They will include Fraud Investigators, Review Officers, Analysts and Intelligence Specialists that will be based in Canberra and capital cities around Australia .

"The Government already invests significant resources in detecting and investigating welfare fraud.

"Last financial year, Centrelink's compliance programs resulted in savings to the taxpayer of more than $1.24 billion.

"But fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated methods to try and rip off the system, which means we need to keep up with their game.

"These positions will focus on addressing new areas of exposure, including high-profile, complex and international investigations.

"These staff will work closely with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) in tracking and data-mining financial intelligence.

"They'll also be tasked with uncovering elaborate scams and complex cases including identity fraud.

"Australians understand the need to provide a financial safety net for people in need, but they don't tolerate people ripping off the system.

"Centrelink refers serious cases of fraud to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which not only results in the recovery of significant amounts of money, it also acts as a clear deterrent.

"These new staff will build on the significant work Centrelink has already done in developing its serious fraud detection and investigation capabilities."

For information on the positions, visit www.centrelink.gov.au and click on the 'Working at Centrelink' link.