Qld antivax activist confirms she and her friends all commit Centrelink benefits rort

One month ago I wrote about an anti-vaccination activist – Anna Stancombe/Patel  – who admitted to undertaking what appears to be benefits fraud so as to retain Commonwealth child care benefits to which she is not entitled: Queensland antivax activist in attempted Centrelink benefits rort.

The No Jab No Pay legislation, which was enacted on January 1 2016, states that children must be immunised according to the Australian schedule for child care rebates and child care benefits to continue. Conscientious and religious exemptions have been removed. Only medical exemptions are now accepted.

Stancombe’s rort runs as follows:

• make an appointment with your immunisation provider with the intention of initiating an immunisation catch-up program for your unimmunised children.
• do not take your children to this immunisation catch-up appointment.
• have the immunisation provider notify Centrelink that the immunisation catch-up program has been initiated, thereby granting you six months’ worth of childcare benefits and rebates.
• refuse to bring your children in for immunisation catch-ups for the next six months.
• when the six months is up you start the process all over again, lying to your immunisation provider by using a number of excuses as to why you could not bring your children in for their immunisations.

In the closed Facebook group, Anti-Vaccination Australia – containing 3306 members, and whose admins and members frequently warn others that the group is not private – Stancombe confirmed that she and most of her friends have conducted the rort.

On March 12 2016, one antivaxer posted an out-of-date article from the thoroughly discredited Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, relating to compulsory immunisation:

One member pointed out the problems with the article, as well as the problems with obtaining benefits to which one is not entitled:

This is a very old article, it’s not current and taking into account the new no jab no play in victoria. If you need ccr and ccb you need to be up to date with vaccinations or you will incur a debt. There are several others who have lodged complaints and it is being reviewed/legal advice sought by the avn as to the legislation being reviewed

Stancombe then repeated her claims from one month ago:

Anna Patel Very easy fix you just go on a catch up schedule!

Another member pointed out the inherent flaw in Stancombe’s plan:

Catch up schedule is for the following…

Stancombe admitted that she and most of her friends had already undertaken the rort:

Anna Patel Catch up is for anyone and no you don’t get them
Vaccinated. I have done it and most of my friends. Payments keep getting paid. A catch up is what they want.

Anna Patel Medical exception or catch up schedule is the only way.

Anna Patel You are confused with the above post. Those categories were for extended time period for vulnerable groups. Anyone can go to the Doctors for a catch up

Anna Patel It’s not in terms of payments. Centrelink deems you up to date if on a catch up….. It is then reviewed in 6 months time.

Even rabid antivaxer Pearson pointed out the folly:

Sam Pearson If you use the catch up schedule to keep getting payment but don’t catch your child up on vaccinations you would have been receiving payments you aren’t entitled to and will need to pay them back.

Further down the same post Stancombe repeated her claims:

Anna Patel Catch up schedule! So easy to do, why isn’t everyone doing it? Gives you further 6 months!!!!!

Again, Stancombe was warned, on March 13 2016:

but it means you have to start vaccing?

Again, Stancombe was unwavering:

Anna Patel No. Have 6 months to decide

Stancombe was questioned by yet another member:

Do you know if Victorian kids still enroll in childcare if they are on a ‘catch up schedule’ but are still not vaccinated.?

And Stancombe was resolute:

Anna Patel I am in QLD, but I would say so as you are up to date…. So how could they say no?

Anna Patel I didn’t take my kids to the appointment

Yet another member took Stancombe to task over her rort, and pointed out the consequences:

If you don’t get your kids vaccinated at the end of the 6 months though, you will owe a debt.

On March 14 2016, Stancombe rejected the warnings:

Anna Patel You do not have a debt! You do not have to pay it back! You are deemed up to date.

Anna Patel Best way is not to put poison in your kids! But some people are, because they need child care. They don’t need to. Go on a catch up and hopefully in 6 months the legal challenge will be underway

I don’t see how Centrelink can ignore this any longer. Stancombe now admits that most of her friends have also undertaken what appears to be outright benefits fraud.

_______________________________

Stancombe’s previous atrocious behaviour can be viewed via the following:

Anna Stancombe/Patel – a high school teacher from Caboolture, Queensland – has featured on this blog a number of times for her anti-vaccination activism, including her trolling of the Light for Riley Facebook page. From my earlier post about Stancombe we can see we’re dealing with a class act with a history of attempted rorting:

Further information on the appalling 2011 behaviour of Stancombe/Patel can be viewed on the Ripoff Report website,  in which it is documented that Stancombe/Patel attempted to defraud an airline of damages for a baby stroller. When a baby store proprietor would not go along with her fraud she attacked him and accused him of being a paedophile, along with the website administrator of the Ripoff Report website. Collection of Ripoff Report posts on Stancombe/Patel also found here.

Publicly available photo courtesy Facebook.

_________________________________