The Fraud Fusion Centre (FFC), hosted by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), enhances the national understanding of existing and emerging serious and organised crime exploitation of Australian Government Payments and Programs (AGPPs). The FFC provides a leading contribution to the Fraud Fusion Taskforce in the disruption and prevention of large-scale fraud against AGPPs, such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Medicare. The FFC works closely with partners in the taskforce to identify and mitigate exploitation opportunities in relation to AGPPs.
ACIC Acting Executive Director Dr Katie Willis said that the FFC has helped build a clearer understanding of how serious and organised crime is involved in fraud affecting government programs. This intelligence has played a key role in shaping new policies and reforms, particularly those focused on preventing criminal networks from targeting programs designed to assist some of the most vulnerable people in the Australian community.
“These efforts are ultimately designed to protect public funds, and those genuinely in need, from criminal exploitation.
“Insights from the Fraud Fusion Centre have supported our partners in their investigations, compliance activities and strategic risk assessments. This is contributing to provider deregistration, criminal referrals and stronger policy controls,” Dr Katie Willis said.
The ACIC uses a range of specialist tools to support the FFC’s work, including coercive powers under the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002 to gather intelligence, advanced data analysis to identify behavioural patterns and financial activity, and access to extensive intelligence databases that provide deep insights into serious and organised crime networks.
These tools allow our intelligence analysts to identify previously unknown threats, including through detection of hidden relationships between individuals, entities and financial flows.
A fusion of intelligence and capability
The FFC is a multi-agency intelligence hub embedded within the ACIC, bringing together specialists from across government to tackle complex fraud. Embedded staff include representatives from:
- Australian Federal Police
- Australian Skills Quality Authority
- Department of Education
- National Disability Insurance Agency
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- Department of Veteran’s Affairs
- Services Australia
- other Fraud Fusion Taskforce partners.
This collaborative approach strengthens intelligence sharing, enables joint targeting and supports the development of enhanced prevention frameworks. As the fraud tactics of serious and organised crime networks evolve, so too does the FFC’s response – driven by intelligence, powered by collaboration and focused on disruption.