Charity wars: Adelaide-based aged care provider Aboriginal Community Services rocked by new claims

An embattled Adelaide aged-care provider has been hit by allegations that senior members kept fuel cards and cars from an Indigenous charity.

Senior members of a South Australian aged care provider kept cars and fuel cards from an Indigenous charity, that organisation’s former chairman claims.

The accusations against Aboriginal Community Services (ACS) have been made by Ian Mye, who led the now collapsed National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation (NATSIC).

Mr Mye claims former senior members of NATSIC kept possession of the fuel cards and fleet cars when they left the corporation in May 2021 before gaining new employment with ACS.

But ACS chief executive Graham Aitken, who was previously a board director and treasurer with NATSIC, said: “ACS has never taken possession of any leased NATSIC vehicles”. He is yet to address the fuel card claims.

Mr Mye said a “routine audit” of NATSIC expenses uncovered several “suspicious fuel card transactions made across Australia between May 2021 and February 2022”.

He said two such transactions took place just before 2.30pm on January 19, 2022 at Ampol Twin Bridges in Murray Bridge, where ACS staff allegedly used Ampol fuel cards registered to NATSIC to purchase diesel and unleaded worth a combined $254.

The Advertiser has sighted an AmpolCard statement confirming the two fuel transactions took place. Surveillance photos have also emerged that show two men in ACS uniforms paying for the fuel.

Mr Mye claimed the fuel cards were linked to one of NATSIC’s NSW government-funded programs that ceased operation in 2020.

Mr Mye also claimed the cards were used at “multiple” other locations across the country.

ACS is also facing claims its staff used fleet vehicles owned by NATSIC, including a Hyundai Tucson registered in NSW.

One vehicle was photographed parked at ACS’s Mile End office in February, 2022.

A transaction in Murray Bridge allegedly made with a NATSIC fuel card. Picture: Supplied

ACS is a Mile End-based organisation providing community and residential aged care services to South Australian Indigenous elders to help them live independently.

The not-for-profit has come under fire after its former chairman Jim Golden-Brown became embroiled in allegations of funding misuse and misconduct in his previous role as chief executive of NATSIC.

Mr Golden-Brown, who was stood down from NATSIC in May 2021, has previously denied any wrongdoing, saying previous audits had failed to show any evidence government funds had been misappropriated. He has not faced any charges.

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The Hyundai Tucson. Picture: Supplied

Lawyers acting for NATSIC sent several letters to the corporation’s former staff, including Mr Golden-Brown, demanding the return of various property including laptops, mobile phones, the Hyundai Tucson and a Toyota Kluger.

“Despite several letters of demand to former NATSIC staff pointing out they no longer had lawful authority to have possession or use of the vehicles, the former staff did not return the vehicles,” Mr Mye claimed.

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