ARTICLE · 20 DECEMBER 2015

Crime doesn't pay: workers compensation fraud has serious repercussions - 16 December 2015

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A worker, in receipt of workers' compensation benefits, asserted he was unemployed while he was working as a taxi driver.

AustraliaEmployment and HR

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In this alert, Senior Associate Aaron Clark and Solicitor Matthew Boyce discuss a recent decision of the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court. In this case, a worker in receipt of workers' compensation benefits fraudulently asserted he was unemployed in order to continue receiving approximately $65,000.00 in benefits, while he was covertly working as a taxi driver.¹

Key Points

Workers' compensation fraud has repercussions on all customers of a scheme. It increases the burden on the taxpayer and reduces available resources to spend on the genuinely injured.
In Queensland, like the ACT, those found guilty of workers' compensation fraud may be subjected to custodial sentences and financial penalties.

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