NEWS
sundayterritorian.com.au
Welfare fraud hits $1.8b
By ALEKS DEVIC
MORE than a $1.8 billion a
year of taxpayers’ money is
being wrongfully claimed in
welfare overpayments.
The revelation comes as
data obtained by News Limited shows that fraudsters
are being pursued in court after cheating the public out of
more than $34.5 million in
the July 2011 to June 2012 financial year.
The Newstart Allowance,
parenting payments and the
disability support pension
are most commonly targeted
by fraudsters.
Health professionals have
also been caught swindling
Medicare payments.
The Federal Government
is now warning of further
crackdowns, with a fresh
push to dob in anyone who
cheats the system.
Welfare
groups
condemned those ripping off the
payments scheme, saying
those in need would suffer.
Details of federal Human
Services Department investigations show widespread
rorting centres around identity fraud, organised and sys-
temic fraud, criminal conduct of health professionals,
and those claiming child and
family benefits.
The amount of cash fraudsters got their hands on jumped from $23.5 million in the
2010/11 financial year to
$34.5 million in 2011/12.
Those figures are believed
to be just the tip of the iceberg in a system which saw
pay-outs totalling $144 billion
in 2011/12, up from $133 billion in 2010/11.
The department conducted
3352 investigations into suspected fraudulent activity in
2011/12, with 1235 cases being
handed over to the Commonwealth Director of Public
Prosecutions.
Human Services Minister
Senator Jan McLucas said
the Federal Government was
getting tough on those wanting to defraud the system.
‘‘For the small number of
people who seek to deliberately defraud the system,
they are going up against one
of the world’s leading fraud
detection systems, risking
prosecution, conviction, and
even time in jail,’’ Senator
McLucas said.
Switch
sparks
price war
By JOHN ROLFE
NEARLY 500 Northern
Territorians who have joined the fight for the nation’s
first cut-price health cover
could also benefit from an
insurance price war.
It is understood some rivals of insurer ahm —
which has discounted policy prices by 10 per cent for
participants in the Big
Health Insurance Switch —
are now offering matching
reductions to stop customers walking.
The competitor counterresponses emerged after another 20,000 people across
Australia joined the Big
Switch movement.
The registration window
closed last night, with more
than 113,000 having signed
up, compared to 93,000 a
week ago when the ahm
deal was made public by
News Limited.
One Big Switch campaign director Christopher
Zinn said a price war would
be a win for consumers and
for the campaign.
‘‘When insurers go headto-head to keep or get customers, that’s great,’’ Mr
Zinn said.
George Savvides, of
ahm’s owner Medibank
Private, said policyholders
shouldn’t be surprised if
their insurer tried to entice
them to stay put.
‘‘Those funds have got a
lot to lose,’’ he said.
Artist Muneeba Zaheer is running five art classes at Casuarina Senior College
Picture: MICHAEL FRANCHI
Teaching at the art of the matter for new Territorian
By NIGEL ADLAM
ARTIST Muneeba Zaheer
gets much of her inspiration
in the simplest way — living
in Darwin.
‘‘I get ideas just going to
work,’’ she said.
Ms Zaheer migrated to
Australia from Pakistan
only a year ago.
‘‘I like the Territory very
much,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s so
quiet and close to nature.’’
She has wasted no time in
getting involved with the
local community.
Ms Zaheer is teaching five
art evening classes at
Casuarina Senior College.
They are interior design,
linocutting for beginners,
etching for beginners and
sculptures for the garden, as
well as clay murals.
Ms Zaheer’s interior
design course will concen-
trate on turning trash into
treasure. Many unwanted
items could be made attractive and useful, she said.
One of her students bought
an old armchair and covered
it with a painted fabric for a
mere $70.
Evening classes at Casuar-
ina start in the week beginning April 29.
The classes include fitness, squash, computing
and languages.
For more information, call
8983 7400, email csc.night
[email protected], or visit
www.adultnightclasses.com.au
Buy Property Through Super and Join
the 1000’s making the change today!!!
Your superannuation is one of the largest assets you will ever own,
the performance of your super fund will greatly affect the age or amount
of income you will retire on. BUT has it been performing for you?
Since 2007 the government relaxed the laws to allow you to set up a
Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) and with the correct structures in
place borrow and buy direct property assets.
Attend a FREE Kis Property Information night and find out more
Holiday Inn Esplanade Darwin
Tuesday 23rd April – 7 pm - 8:30 pm
Seats are limited
Call 1300 118 773
or book online at
www.kisgroup.net.au
Property Group
Level 1/90 Mitchell Street, Darwin
www.kisgroup.net.au
Waterfront Dining is back!
Book now to watch the glorious colours of the
twilight transform across the water at Darwin’s
premier restaurant set in spectacular East
Point Reserve.
Ph: (08) 8981 6868
Email: [email protected]
Pee Wee’s is now open for dining 7 Nights a week!
www.sundayterritorian.com.au
Sunday, April 14, 2013. Sunday Territorian.
11
PUB:
There is currently over $430 billion dollars of wealth invested via a
SMSF and that number is growing by 600 new funds per week.
R:
LOWSNENT
11
GE:
14-A
TE:
K
MDA
Y
C