Mount Isa, 2 and 4 September 2025

• Charge 1 – Section 533 WCRA – Fraud
• Charges 2 and 8 – Section 136 WCRA – Failure to Notify
• Charges 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 – Section 534 WCRA – Providing False Information.

In March 2022, the defendant made a claim for compensation for an injury she sustained while working as a youth worker.

At the time, the defendant had a second job in a similar role. She initially disclosed this job to WorkCover but when it became clear that her income from this job would impact her compensation payments, she downplayed her employment and falsely said she had not worked there for some time.

She later falsely advised WorkCover that she had only worked at that other employment while her compensation application was being processed.

In total, on four occasions she made false statements to WorkCover to the effect she was not working. Some of these statements occurred on days that she had worked and in response to being directly questioned about her work status. She also told a registered person that she mostly stays at home, sitting on the couch and watching television.

While still receiving compensation, the defendant ended her employment with that second employer but then engaged with a third employer, which she never notified WorkCover about.

The defendant also falsely stated to a registered person that she had only worked at the second employer for a short time due to feeling obliged to complete the roster that was in place prior to WorkCover starting.

• For the fraud charge: 15 months imprisonment, suspended after 3 (noting she had already served one month in custody)
• For the 534 charges: 3 months imprisonment each, to be served concurrently with the fraud sentence
• For the 136 charges, convicted and not further punished.

Workers must be honest with insurers and registered persons regarding any secondary employment.