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Australia & Oceania

Organised crime gangs exploit Australia's disability insurance scheme through fraud and intimidation

Monday, 20 April 2026, 16:05 · 1 min read

Australian law enforcement officials have warned parliament that organised crime gangs are infiltrating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS — a government-funded program providing support to Australians with disabilities), using it to launder money, earn income, and hide assets within the A$50 billion program. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission told a parliamentary review that criminals are paying cash kickbacks to participants and resorting to intimidation and threats of physical violence against vulnerable people, while allied health professionals are helping gangs submit false or exaggerated documents to inflate payments. The revelations come as the government prepares to announce significant reforms to the scheme, which grew by more than 10% last year and is projected to cost A$63 billion by 2028–29, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers describing planned cuts as "the most important part" of the upcoming budget's savings package.

Sources
The GuardianNDIS infiltrated by organised crime gangs using intimidation and threats of violence against Australians ↗︎
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