Information Sheet Element 6 – Detecting fraud and corruption
Publication date
May 2024
This information sheet is part of a series of resources to help officials understand and implement the new Commonwealth Fraud and Corruption Control Framework. To access other information sheets, go to Learn about the Fraud and Corruption Control Framework.
Purpose
This information sheet will help Commonwealth officials understand:
- how to establish and communicate appropriate reporting mechanisms
- methods entities can use to proactively detect and measure fraud and corruption, including monitoring, reviews and audits, data matching and analytics, and fraud and error loss measurement.
At a glance
Some of the key points discussed in this information sheet are:
- Fraud and corruption are crimes of deception and are deliberately concealed by those who perpetrate them.
- Detection is crucial to revealing these crimes and enabling entities to effectively deal with them, thereby minimising the consequences through earlier intervention.
- Detection can involve a range of mechanisms from reporting channels to more proactive activities such as data matching and data analytics.
- Entities should establish policies and procedures to encourage and support reporting of suspected fraud and corruption through appropriate channels, and provide confidence to prospective reporters that:
- they will be protected from reprisal
- appropriate action will be taken in response to their report.
- When undertaking data matching and analytics exercises, entities:
- must adhere to legislative requirements
- consider and test the validity of any results
- consider the ethical implications associated with their activities.
- Lawfully sharing data can be a powerful tool to detect fraud and corruption, particularly as more government services are becoming digital.
Related links
- Learn about the Fraud and Corruption Control Framework
- Commonwealth Fraud and Corruption Control Framework 2024
- Information Sheet: Element 1 – Fraud and corruption risk assessments
- Information Sheet: Element 2 – Fraud and corruption control plans
- Information Sheet: Element 3 – Reviewing control effectiveness
- Information Sheet: Element 4 – Governance and oversight
- Information Sheet: Element 5 – Preventing fraud and corruption
- Information Sheet: Element 7 – Investigation and other responses