A THIRD of public servants from three targeted agencies in the ACT have been accused of fraud, according to a new report.

The ACT’s auditor-general’s report on Fraud Prevention revealed that in the last five years there have been 131 allegations of fraud perpetrated by ACT public servants, of which 42 were substantiated.

However the ACT auditor-general Michael Harris admits the full extend of internal fraud, and its cost to the ACT public service remains unknown.

“A consolidated report of the total number of fraud incidents reported each year is not published,” Mr Harris said.

“It is therefore difficult to establish what the full extent, source and cost of internal fraud is to the ACT Public Service, and what new vulnerabilities may be emerging.

“The Chief Minister, Treasury Economic Development Directorate (CMTEDD) and the ACT Integrity Commission may wish to consider the need for such a report.”

The audit report, released today (March 3), considered the effectiveness of fraud prevention activities across three ACT Government agencies: Community Services Directorate, Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate and Access Canberra.

Whilst the audit found that the agencies undertake activities designed to prevent or minimise the risk of internal fraud, more could be done to measure staff perceptions of fraud and corruption risks in the agency.

Mr Harris said acts of fraud damage the community’s trust in the integrity of the ACT Public Service and its capacity to effectively protect public resources.