Stacey Bartolo ordered to pay compensation for claiming Covid payments

A Services Australia employee who falsely claimed thousands of dollars of Covid payments will have to pay back more than $12,000.

Stacey Lee Bartolo was sentenced for dishonestly gaining a financial advantage.

A Services Australia employee who falsely claimed Covid disaster payments will have to pay back more than $12,000 in compensation for submitting incorrect documents, which included unfounded claims she worked at Cotton On.

Stacey Lee Bartolo, 41, falsely claimed thousands of dollars of Centrelink payments over an 11-month period.

Her offending came to light when an internal data-matching program identified her as a full-time Services Australia employee who claimed payments despite not taking any leave entitlements.

Bartolo, of Lara, pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday to charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage.

Court documents reveal she received Covid-19 disaster payments between August 2021 and November 2021, as well as pandemic leave disaster payments in May, June and July 2022.

The documents reveal Bartolo lodged a number of false disaster payment claims, stating she was unable to work at Cotton On as a casual employee despite never working there.

The court was told Bartolo lodged an online claim for a Covid disaster payment between August 25 and September 10, 2021 and received an overpayment of $3750.

She also received Covid-19 disaster payments in September, October and November.

On three occasions when Bartolo submitted paperwork, she claimed she was unable to work at Cotton On as a result of the lockdown in greater Melbourne.

According to Services Australia, “the claim was false because the accused has never been employed by the Cotton-on group”.

Four false pandemic leave payment claims were also made in May, June and July 2022.

Documents reveal Bartolo claimed she had lost 38 hours of work at Services Australia on four occasions because she was caring for someone and had Covid.

Some of her excuses for not working included claims she was looking after her children, was unable to work from home, did not have adequate leave entitlements and was isolating from Covid.

Services Australia revealed the claims were false because she did not take any leave during the claimed period, had adequate leave entitlements to cover a full seven days of leave, and was able to work from home and she had been issued a work laptop and mobile.

Bartolo was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of $4000, as well as a compensation order of $12,750.

Originally published as Stacey Bartolo ordered to pay compensation for claiming Covid payments