Dole-bludger mum Allison Dalton dodges jail time after stealing $92,000 from Centrelink
A Boronia mum who fleeced $92,000 from Centrelink while working for the State Government has avoided jail time after a court heard she has begun repaying $118.50 a fortnight.
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A Boronia mum who fleeced $92,000 from Centrelink while working for a State Government department has avoided jail time.
Allison Dalton, 42, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to 20-months’ jail but was released on a two-year good behaviour bond.
Dalton earned up to $1900 a fortnight working for the Department of Health and Human Services while getting the dole between December 2012 and March 2018.
Dalton, who claimed parent payments and study benefits, obtained $92,839 while she earned close to $400,000 from her part-time disability support worker job during the period.
The court heard Dalton enrolled to study but left the course because it was “too difficult”.
She kept receiving the study payments.
Dalton, via her barrister Nola Karapanagiotidis, claimed her ex-partner Craig Henderson blew most of the cash on alcohol and gambling.
Mr Henderson, the father of Dalton’s two children, still lives with his ex-partner.
The court heard Mr Henderson – who shared a bank account with Dalton – drank Jim Beam daily and usually cracked his first drink in the morning.
“(Dalton) was not living a life of luxury,” Ms Karapanagiotidis said during this week’s plea hearing.
It was submitted Dalton, who lived at Croydon North during the offending period, has struggled financially and occasionally relied on her mum to pay rent and bills.
However, the court heard Dalton told a psychologist she would “spend cash or tap away until the money was gone”.
In response, prosector Mathew Challen, on behalf of the Commonwealth, submitted a short term of imprisonment is an appropriate sentence.
“She was on notice … the nil declarations continued,” Mr Challen said.
Federal department Services Australia – which oversees Centrelink – contacted Dalton in August 2016 querying her income declaration after a “data match” indicated she had been overpaid.
Dalton kept offending despite the warning, the court heard.
Mr Challen said a thorough investigation finalised in 2019 uncovered the full extent of Dalton’s fraud.
The court heard Dalton, a former Pembroke College student, worked for Kmart for 11 years before joining the DHHS.
Dalton left her job in 2018 after she was cleared for an alleged assault.
Judge Patricia Riddell said Dalton committed “serious” offending.
“These are not victimless crimes,” Judge Riddell said.
“The burden of that fraud falls on the community.”
However, Judge Riddell took into account that Dalton the primary carer for her children, that she would find prison “extremely hard” and she had already begun repaying $118.50 per fortnight.
Dalton, who pleaded guilty to a rolled up charge of obtaining a financial advantage by deception, was ordered to repay $85,000.
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