Reflections on Fraud Awareness Week 2023

International Fraud Awareness Week took place from November 12-18 2023. This annual week-long global campaign dedicates time to raise awareness about fraud. The Centre supports these efforts by producing a tailored fraud awareness and education package for the week, designed to encourage Australian Government officials to proactively take steps to minimise the impact of fraud to their entity.

This year the Centre chose the topic ‘Fraud prevention in focus’ and trialled a new delivery method. We focused on supporting entities efforts to organise a fraud awareness week that was tailored to meet their requirements. This was achieved through a promotional pack containing a poster, screensaver, and activities and the release of the following webinars on the Attorney-General’s Department YouTube channel:

• Enhancing counter fraud capability through Strategic Fraud Risk Prioritisation
  In this session, Chris McDermott and Tina Motia from the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre discuss how applying Strategic Fraud Risk Prioritisation can help us develop a proportionate and targeted approach to managing fraud risk. Amie McGurgan from the National Indigenous Australians Agency speaks about how the NIAA approaches fraud risk management.
• Understanding new control testing obligations and how to set up a control testing program
  Agencies will soon be required to test the effectiveness of their fraud controls. In this session, Chris and Tina provide practical advice on implementing a control effectiveness testing program. Tanya Jarzynski from the Australian Tax Office's System Integrity Program talks about stakeholder buy-in.
• A closer look at fraud control testing
  Chris and Tina talk about international best practice approach to fraud control testing. They speak with the Australian Tax Office’s Tanya Jarzynski about business process mapping.

Even though Fraud Awareness Week is over for the year, fraud committed against the government doesn’t stop. Investing in prevention strategies is the most cost-effective means of minimising the risk and impacts of fraud. You can find out more about fraud prevention on Centre’s website.

Thank you to our amazing presenters and those who joined us in raising awareness of fraud and minimising its impact. We look forward to seeing you in 2024, for another successful International Fraud Awareness Week.

If you are a government agency and would like access to the Centre’s webinar recordings, please contact the Centre.