‘Low grade filth’: Bill Shorten launches at dodgy NDIS providers after late-year raids

Providers suspected of swindling millions of dollars from the NDIS have been swooped on in a series of December raids.

A late-year series of raids has been launched on alleged rorters suspected of swindling from the NDIS, with one business accused of owing more than $2 million to the scheme according to documents seen by The Sunday Telegraph.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten also revealed ahead of the New Year that up to $600 million of swindled funding would be diverted away from rorters after dodgy providers were netted over 2024, boosted by a series of raids and actions in the last month.

The latest actions include a December 10 raid on multiple properties in north and south regional NSW by the Fraud Fusion Taskforce and partner agencies including the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and the Australian Federal Police.

The raid came after investigations into four persons of interest to authorities across 11 different service providers, amid suspicions up to $2.7 million in NDIS funding had been swindled by overcharging and draining participants’ plans.

One of the providers linked to the raids was put into liquidation earlier this year, with an April report obtained by The Telegraph showing the company owed $2.1 million to the NDIA, as well as more than $500,000 in unpaid superannuation.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten says cracking down on crooks has saved the NDIS hundreds of millions of dollars. Picture: Martin Ollman

On December 17 multiple search warrants were executed in another series of raids in southwest Sydney, led by the NDIA and supported by agencies including the NSW Building Commission.

Almost 50 agency investigators raided properties linked to up to $20 million being swindled from the NDIS in a large-scale fraud.

In a separate matter, a man will face court in January after he was among five people charged with defrauding the scheme through the hijacking of ABNs.

Mr Shorten heralded 2024 as a massive year for cracking down on “low grade filth” attempting to swindle the NDIS.

“2024 has been the worst year for crooks (preying) on the NDIS since it was set up 10 years ago, and I predict 2025 will be even worse for crooks,” he said.

“It’s now verifiably heading in to hundreds of millions of dollars saved.”

Mr Shorten said more than $200 million was expected to be saved from non-compliant payments after action was taken against those rorting the system over the year.

Another $400 million is forecast to be diverted away from dodgy providers onto compliant providers.

Mr Shorten said he was “shocked and angry” at the number of providers trying to siphon money from the scheme.

“Frankly I’ve been shocked at the naivety at the people who came before me, (not making) sure the NDIS couldn’t be used as a piggy bank for crooks,” he said.

“Too many people have tried having a lend of the scheme – they sort of self-hypnotise themselves (into thinking it’s only) government money or taxpayer money.”

Over the last six months alone, the Fraud Fusion Taskforce – a partnership of various government agencies formed to crackdown on rorters – executed 20 warrants on people and business suspected of defrauding the NDIS.

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Originally published as ‘Low grade filth’: Bill Shorten launches at dodgy NDIS providers after late-year raids