Conflict of interest is built into the auditing system

The public debate over fraud in the NDIS follows a familiar scenario: rogue providers benefit from a multibillion-dollar scheme. All eyes are on NDIS Minister Mark Butler’s National Press Club speech tomorrow, with a new round of reforms to the disability scheme focusing on informal providers and pricing reforms. Meanwhile, alarmist headlines focus on fraudsters disrupting the system, with some even claiming similarities to alleged childcare fraud at government nurseries in Minnesota. But it is an incomplete explanation.