Truckie took workers' comp payments while working

Truckie took workers’ comp payments while working

20 January 2023

A truck driver has been ordered to repay $47,509 to WorkSafe Victoria after he pleaded guilty in court to two rolled-up charges of fraudulently obtaining payments from the workers’ compensation scheme.

Jarryd Schembri, 29, was also fined $3000 without conviction, WorkSafe Victoria said in a statement today.

The Sale Magistrates Court heard that in March 2019 he lodged a successful compensation claim for injuries to his neck, back and shoulder caused by pushing hay bales off a truck.

He submitted certificates of capacity declaring he was not working between September 2020 and November 2021 but a WorkSafe Victoria investigation found he had worked for a Gippsland earthmoving contractor since October 2020.

“He failed to disclose his employment to his GP or insurer, and it wasn’t until a year later – when the investigation started – that [he] informed his insurer he was heading back to work,” WorkSafe Victoria said.

WorkSafe Insurance Business Unit Executive Director Roger Arnold says fraudulent activity undermined the scheme’s ability to provide support to injured workers.

“Workers’ compensation fraud is a serious crime that diverts resources away from those who truly need it,” he said.

“WorkSafe will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who attempts to cheat the system for personal gain.”