http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1036055.htm
Prison escapees claim dole payments ABC news Monday, February 2, 2004. 12:58pm (AEDT)
The Western Australian Government has criticised Centrelink for allowing prison escapees to collect the dole while they are on the run in other states.
Attorney-General Jim McGinty has written to the federal Family and Community Services Minister, Kay Patterson, alleging that some of the 24 Western Australian criminals who are on the run are claiming benefits under their own names.
Mr McGinty says the fugitives should be in jail, instead of having taxpayers fund their lifestyles.
He says Centrelink has a list of the escapees but has done nothing about it.
"I call on the Federal Government to immediately cease payments to each of these fugitives who are on the run, immediately give that information to the state police so that those people can be arrested and returned to prison in Western Australia where they belong," he said.
Centrelink says the police need to deal with the problem.
The national manager of Centrelink, Hank Jongen, says the organisation will cooperate if police require information to help with their investigations.
"I can understand the concerns of the WA Government," he said. "But like them, we are also interested in preserving the integrity of the social security system because we want to ensure that taxpayers' money is only paid to people who are entitled to receive it."
"The process is a straightforward routine one," Mr Jongen added. "If the WA police require information from us to assist in their investigations, we can and will cooperate fully."
But Mr McGinty said: "It's too cute by half to say that the police haven't requested the information.
"Centrelink have got the information. The onus is on the Federal Government to come clean, stop the payments, give this information to the police." Print Email