WorkSafe Victoria executive director calls case 'upsetting'
An individual from Clayton South in Victoria has been ordered to pay back more than $125,000 after defrauding the state's workers’ compensation system.
The 37-year-old man, Abid Khan, was caught receiving weekly compensation and superannuation payments despite already working as a rideshare driver.
According to WorkSafe Victoria, Khan was first placed under the state's workers compensation scheme after suffering a shoulder injury while working as a car park cleaner and sweeper operator in January 2017.
Under the compensation scheme, Khan received $125,939 in weekly compensation and superannuation payments.
However, a probe in January 2023 uncovered that Khan had been working as a rideshare driver since September 2020, where he earned more than $81,000 while accepting compensation and superannuation payments.
WorkSafe said Khan had failed to inform his GP or WorkSafe agent that he was already working, noting that he had been providing medical certificates stating that he had no capacity for work.
Khan also previously rejected their suggestions of a job as a rideshare driver, attributing it to his arm pain that he claimed prevented him from driving longer than 10 minutes.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of obtaining financial advantage by deception and one charge of fraudulently obtaining payments.
In addition to paying back the payments, the Moorabbin Magistrates' Court on Wednesday also ordered him to complete 240 hours of community service.
Jason Lardelli, executive director of WorkSafe Victoria, said it was "upsetting" to see a deliberate effort to defraud the workers compensation scheme.
"We are fortunate to have a system here in Victoria that gives workers the support they need, when they need it most, in their recovery and return to work, and so it's absolutely upsetting when we see cases where people are deliberately doing the wrong thing," Lardelli said in a statement.
"We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to uphold the integrity of the scheme and ensure those who knowingly attempt to defraud the system are found and held to public account."
