A Gold Coast couple who cheated Centrelink out of more than $110,000 in payments over six years will spend the next five months in jail.
The Southport Magistrates Court heard on Thursday that Thomas Fitzpatrick, 63, of Labrador, claimed Newstart Allowance between 1999 and 2005 despite long periods of employment, a Centrelink statement said.
His wife, 68-year-old Joan Fitzpatrick, claimed Partner Allowance and Age Pension between 1999 and 2005 while employed under her maiden name.
Together, they claimed $110,652 in benefits they were not entitled to, the statement said.
The couple, who have already repaid the money, were sentenced to 18 months jail to be released after five months, it said.
Centrelink general manager Hank Jongen said the case should send a clear warning to welfare cheats.
He said Centrelink had one of the most sophisticated electronic data-matching systems in the country to uncover fraud.
In 2008/09, 3388 Centrelink cases were prosecuted for fraud with a success rate of 99 per cent.
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