Truck driver ordered to repay $75k for compensation scam

A Victorian truck driver has been fined and ordered to repay more than $75,000 after it was discovered he was working for multiple companies while collecting workers’ compensation.

A 41-year-old truck driver from Tarneit has been fined and ordered to repay more than $75,000 after he was caught working for multiple companies while claiming workers’ compensation benefits.

The Victorian man faced the Werribee Magistrates Court on Thursday, 31 July, where he pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraudulently obtaining payments.

He was handed a $5,000 fine, without conviction, and ordered to repay $75,544 to the compensation scheme.

According to WorkSafe, the court heard during the hearing that the driver had lodged an injury claim with his former employer, citing “mental stress, anxiety, and depression”, and began receiving weekly compensation payments in June 2022.

However, investigators later uncovered that he had started working for another company in April 2022 – two months before receiving his first compensation payment – a fact he failed to disclose.

The Tarneit man continued driving for multiple companies while claiming benefits until May 2023, when surveillance confirmed he was self-employed. WorkSafe stated that this led authorities to terminate his payments on the “grounds of fraud”.

A WorkSafe investigation revealed that between April 2022 and May 2023, the truck driver had worked for five different employers while continuing to receive compensation payments.

Despite continuing to work for these various companies, he kept submitting medical certificates claiming he was unable to work, remained unfit for duties, and was not engaged in any employment.

Jason Lardelli, executive director of Return to Work Victoria, strongly condemned the man’s actions, emphasising that the compensation scheme exists to support genuinely injured workers.

“It’s always disappointing when people choose to abuse the system that is in place to help support injured workers,” Lardelli said.

He warned that those who exploit the system could face serious legal consequences, as such behaviour constitutes fraud.

“Giving false information to receive compensation payments is fraudulent and a serious crime. It’s simply unacceptable, particularly when the scheme is here for those who genuinely depend on it,” Lardelli said.