Gloria Cassimatis etc
Ex-ATO deputy commissioner joins BioCatch advisory board focused on government payment fraud
Former Australian Taxation Office (ATO) deputy commissioner John Ford has joined a new BioCatch public-private advisory board that aims to help governments identify and prevent fraud involving tax, welfare and pension payments.
The advisory board’s stated approach is to work with governments and law enforcement to enable banks using BioCatch to alert agencies when an account appears high risk, before government payments are deposited.
The board’s founding members include Ford, former IRS Criminal Investigation chief Guy Ficco and former Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority director-general Dr Shlomit Wagman, according to BioCatch.
In Australia, the proposal lands amid persistent concerns about the scale of fraud affecting government payments and the gap between reported losses and estimated totals. Commonwealth entities quantified $110.7 million in external fraud losses in 2024–25, while external fraud allegations rose 27% to 348,072, according to figures cited in the release. The Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre has said the true figure is likely higher, and the OECD has cited an estimate of $5 billion to $25 billion a year.
The release also points to the ATO’s response to GST refund fraud, which it says cost at least $2 billion, with more than 57,000 detected perpetrators. Banks began sending the ATO more alerts about suspicious refunds from December 2021, it said.
BioCatch said it already operates an account intelligence network among Australian banks. Its BioCatch Trust network launched in 2024 with ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Suncorp and Westpac, and Macquarie has since joined, according to the release.
“Fraud against tax and welfare systems diverts resources from those who need them most and undermines confidence in government programmes,” Ford said.
BioCatch said the advisory board would seek to establish partnerships enabling member banks to collaborate to warn government agencies about high-risk payments before tax, unemployment, pension and other payments are made to people who may not be legally entitled to them.
The announcement comes as Australia prepares for incoming reforms, including New Scams Prevention Framework obligations for banks starting on 31 March 2027. The release also noted that Parliament’s AI committee heard on 30 October that the ATO has begun using AI to track fraud.
‘Not a workers’ party anymore’: Aussies slam Chalmers over ATO
‘Labor loves spending taxpayers’ money’: Readers turn on Jim Chalmers over multimillion-dollar ATO headquarters
Daily Telegraph readers have taken aim at Treasurer Jim Chalmers over the opening of the Australian Taxation Office’s
multimillion-dollar Canberra headquarters, questioning the massive taxpayer spend while families battle rising interest rates and cost-of-living pressures.
The six-storey building in Barton has cost at least $138.3m to fit out, with a further $323.4m committed through a 15-year lease.
The opening has sparked a wave of reader criticism, with some questioning the need for such an expensive headquarters when many public servants work from home.
“Labor loves spending taxpayers’ money,” Steven said.
Another questioned how Mr Chalmers could justify the expenditure on public servants working remotely.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers at the opening of the ATO’s new Barton HQ. Picture: LinkedIn “How does Chalmers justify such expenditure on staff that WFH (Work from Home)?” they wrote.
Another commenter described the opening as “a bit pointless when they are all WFH”.
Others accused the government of being disconnected from ordinary Australians.
“Look at the entitled bureaucrats there with Chalmers. They just live in another world compared to the rest of us,” one reader said.
The multimillion dollar facility has been deemed part of the ‘Canberra bubble’ and out of touch as Australians struggling with rising living costs. Picture: Supplied “Not a good look, is it? Or jetting all over the world for useless, expensive junkets. Labor is not really the party of the workers anymore, is it?” another wrote.
Tony questioned the value of public servants, saying they “leach off the wealth produced by the private sector and ordinary workers”.
Byron called for government offices to be relocated so public servants could better understand life outside Canberra.
“It’s time for Canberra government offices to be relocated to join the real world and only employ people with varied experience of being in it,” he said.
The chic new ATO premises boasts 85 executive suites for senior staff. Picture: Supplied The backlash comes as households face mounting financial pressure, with five interest rate rises in nine months and Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock warning of recession-like conditions.
Environment Minister Murray Watt has also urged Labor colleagues to stop undermining Mr Chalmers through media leaks, saying the government needed to work together to improve the economy.
Photos of the new ATO Barton HQ. Picture: Supplied The opening was seized on by the Coalition, with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor accusing Mr Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of being out of touch with Australian families and small businesses.
Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson also criticised the spending, arguing the Treasurer should be focused on cutting government expenditure.
The building, at 15 Sydney Ave in Barton, features 85 office suites for senior executives and can accommodate more than 2500 staff.
A spokesman for Mr Chalmers defended the visit, saying the ATO would play an important role in Labor’s tax reforms, including measures to help first-home buyers and deliver another tax cut for workers.
However, not all readers were critical.
“Poor old Jim can’t even cut a ribbon without getting a negative response. Oh dear!!” Glen said.
