NDIS watchdog takes legal action against known scammers for alleged breaches
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has launched unprecedented legal action against two banned providers who allegedly supported disabled people despite being banned.
The NDIS watchdog has launched civil cases against two known fraudsters who allegedly continued to provide support to disabled people even though they were banned from doing so.
Synthia Restar, a former NDIS provider CEO, and Lynette Peters are being sued separately by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission in the Federal Court over allegations that they ignored orders banning them from providing disability care.
The legal action marks the first time the Commission has launched action against an individual or a provider for flouting a banning order.
Restar was barred from operating as an NDIS provider in 2019 – three years after the Commonwealth successfully took legal action against her for fabricating 11 vocational education and training (VET) qualifications in aged care, disability and business management.
She then gave those certificates to the Australian Skills Quality Authority so she could teach other students, before setting up her own training college own training college, MPJEL Oceania.
Her scam was uncovered because she gave a colleague two fake training certificates for $2000.
She was fined $120,000 at the time by the Federal Court and expressed remorse for her actions, before she became the CEO of Frangipani Gentle Care Homes Group.
The NDIS Commission alleges that between February 2022 and early 2024, three years after the bans were imposed, Restar provided support co-ordination services to two NDIS participants via a family member’s company.
Peters was banned by the NDIS Commission for two years from January after she was convicted of making fraudulent claims for NDIS supports and services that were never provided.
She pleaded guilty in 2023 to seven counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and is currently serving an 18-month community corrections order.
The NDIS Commission alleges that Peters knowingly breached the banning order by providing support co-ordination services to two NDIS participants between January and March 2025, and attempted to avoid detection by faking service agreements and invoices.
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner Louise Glanville said the legal action is a clear message that there are consequences for breaching banning orders.
“These proceedings show that we will take strong action against any banned individual or provider that fails to comply,” she said.
“This is an example of the kind of decisive action the sector can expect as we increase our focus on areas of greatest risk to participants and the NDIS itself.”
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Originally published as NDIS watchdog takes legal action against known scammers for alleged breaches
