Queenslanders admit they'll lie for flood cashBy Matthew GrimsonFraudsters have been warned to think twice before dishonestly claiming special one-off payments of $1,000 designed to help flood victims.
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) has been established to help Queensland flood victims, including those who have lost homes, been seriously injured, or have lost a member of their immediate family.
People are also eligible if their electricity was out for more than 48 hours or if they were cut-off from their home for more than 24 hours.
Centrelink managing director Hank Jongen says those found guilty of fraud face serious consequences, including time in prison.
But several people have told ABC News Online they were planning on chancing their luck and applying for the $1,000 despite not being affected by the floods.
One female student says she will be "trying everything" to get the payment.
"I figure the Federal Government does not do nearly enough to support people or students," she said.
"I'm 50-50 [per cent] sure it will work. If I get caught I'll just act dumb; it has worked before. Centrelink is renowned for paying first and asking for it back."
She says she is aware the payments are designed to help those affected by the floods but she does not have any sympathy for the Government.
"I do feel a bit guilty," she said.
"[But] I think the Federal Government should feel worse and more guilty than me considering how much they've squandered away in the past couple of years on crap."
Another woman also says she will be claiming the $1,000 despite the risk of getting caught. She says she is going to tell Centrelink she was isolated from her house.
She says flood or no flood, she would have been staying at her boyfriend's house throughout the disaster period.
But she says there is no risk because Centrelink cannot find out where she was and what she was doing.
Public duty
Mr Jongen says he knows some people will take advantage of the assistance scheme, but the organisation has to consider its duty to the public.
He says Centrelink is being "flexible" when identifying people who are lodging claims and "in the overwhelming majority of cases, people are honest and [are] entitled to their payments".
He is urging people who are tempted to make fraudulent claims to reconsider.
"In emergency and crisis situations, Centrelink needs to balance the needs of people who have obviously gone through a very traumatic event with the fact that unfortunately some people may try to claim assistance they aren't entitled to," he said.
"Where we receive evidence or tip-offs about fraudulent claiming, we will investigate them. If someone has claimed a payment through deliberate fraud they will be required to pay it back and may face prosecution."
Mr Jongen says Centrelink is in close contact with councils and utility providers to ensure they can check the legitimacy of claims.
He says cases in which deliberate deception or intent to defraud are established are referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP).
"The [CDPP] prosecuted 3,461 Centrelink cases for fraud with a successful conviction rate of 99.3 per cent [last year]," he said.
"I would urge anyone thinking of defrauding Centrelink to seriously consider their actions."
Source:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/19/3116295.htm
