13th Annual National Public Sector Fraud and Corruption Congress

Conference day one – Wednesday 13 September 2023

International Keynote Address:
Combatting public sector fraud in an uncertain future – lessons from the US pandemic response

• Evaluating the achievements and opportunities emergent from the COVID crisis
• Identifying motivators of fraudulent behaviour in crisis scenarios
• Accounting for common mistakes and vulnerabilities in emergency management
• Designing a robust fraud risk management framework to combat contemporary risks
• Applying lessons from the US experience to your organisational fraud control strategies

Seto Bagdoyan, Director Forensic Audits and Investigatory Services, US Government Accountability Office

Designing your organisational fraud control strategy for improved detection

• Collecting and storing detailed information from all business functions
• Utilising tip-offs and protected disclosures to direct further investigation
• Identifying common fraud red flags in your available data
• Strengthening your identification outcomes with automated detection testing
• Applying good sense in discerning between false positives and potential incidents

Rebecca Fealy, Assistant Commissioner External Fraud Intelligence and Assessment Centre, Australian Taxation Office

Morning tea

Thinking like a fraudster: How to test the effectiveness of your fraud controls

• Leveraging existing policy, resources, and processes to support new initiatives
• Testing your controls and assumptions
• Establishing regularly reviewed policy frameworks

Lisa Palaszewski, Director Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre, Attorney-General’s Department

Embedding fraud and corruption control into your risk management function

• Utilising contemporary risk management techniques and strategies within fraud control
• Conducting fraud risk assessments in accordance with industry standards and regulations
• Designing a dedicated risk management approach for each of your high-risk areas
• Adapting risk assessment outcomes to guide organisational policy response

Utilising Artificial Intelligence for effective fraud and corruption management

• Identifying the business use of AI, including planned increased investment
• Utilising modern tools in the AI space such as ChatGPT
• Updating your strategic approach around malicious AI usage
• Mitigating risks posed by AI with modern fraud and corruption controls

Roger Darvall-Stevens, Head of Fraud and Forensic Services, RSM Australia

Chris Scott, Manager, RSM Australia

Equipping your line management to manage integrity and security risks 

• Embedding integrity and diligence into standard practice for line managers
• Mitigating the fraud risks inherent in employee-supervisor relationships
• Developing targeted counter-fraud training programmes for direct supervisors
• Building communicative relationships between line managers and senior leadership

Frank Joyce, Executive Manager Strategy and Insights, City of Whittlesea

Afternoon Tea

Designing fraud and corruption training programs that stick

• Avoiding common mistakes in counter-fraud training initiatives
• Tailoring your learning and development content to your participants
• Ensuring that lessons from your training programs reverberate long-term
• Achieving value for your investment in fraud control training
• Reviewing fraud knowledge levels regularly in your organisation

Jim Meyers, Director Ethics, Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government, and Planning QLD

• Making your code of conduct easily accessible for employees, leaders, and contractors
• Developing relationships with each business function as a counter-fraud professional
• Nominating fraud control representatives on multiple levels of leadership and seniority
• Prompting reliable feedback from staff on the health of your organisational culture

Jamie Blanchard, Manager Governance, City of Stirling

Conference day two – Thursday 14 September 2023

International Keynote Address:
UK perspective on the threat of Insiders within the public sector and the importance of interagency collaboration

• UK view of what makes an insider and the threat of corruption
• Our response in HMRC to insider events
• How HMRC seeks to manage insider risk and mitigate against insider threat
• Broader collective UK public sector response – strategic and operational

Mike Brown, Head of Internal Investigation, Fraud Investigation Service, HM Revenue and Customs UK

Case Study:

The role of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, including as an Integrity Agency in the National Anti-Corruption framework.

The Office of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force celebrates 20 years of operation in 2023. In this presentation, Mr Gaynor will discuss his role as the head of a Commonwealth integrity agency, including associated challenges and rewards.

James Gaynor CSC, Inspector General to the Australian Defence Force, Office of the Inspector General to the Australian Defence Force

Private sector case study:

Conducting effective investigations into potential fraud and misconduct

• Accessing interagency support for complex investigations into misconduct
• Practicing appropriate interview and intelligence gathering strategies
• Determining next steps after successfully identifying misconduct in investigation

Chris Sheehan, General Manager Group Investigations, National Australia Bank

Conducting modern counter-fraud data analysis in practice

• Centring key principles in the sampling of organisational data
• Navigating confidentiality restrictions and other barriers to access
• Conducting a typical data analysis for fraud control outcomes
• Detailing each step of the data analysis process for a fraud control professional

Dene Saunders, Head of Integrity Services, Accident Compensation Commission New Zealand

Evaluating the role of the new National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC)

• Collaborating with other agencies and regulators
• Evaluating the investigative powers of the NACC by law
• Identifying the appropriate regulatory body for a given incident
• Developing organisational fraud control processes in a new regulatory environment

Developing integrity data analytics as a fraud & corruption detection tool

• Refining data analytics strategies and scope for incident detection
• Identifying typical data analytics routines for detection
• Collaborating effectively with stakeholders
• Processing data analytics outputs and red flags accurately

Andrew Phillips, Assistant Manager Legal and Insurance Services, MainRoads WA

Afternoon tea

• Collaborating with IT professionals to defend against modern digital threats
• Promoting a cyber aware culture throughout the organisation
• Implementing software and policies to reduce risk of cyber attacks
• Designing a cybersecurity system with minimal disruption to business functions
• Minimising the fallout following a breach in your cybersecurity defences

Confronting corruption and fraud risks throughout the procurement process

• Embedding distributed accountability processes in procurement and accounting
• Improving fraud controls around value for money and tender bidding
• Refining invoicing and record-keeping procedures to aid investigations
• Conducting regular audits of procurement controls and records
• Identifying achievable ‘first steps’ to transform procurement fraud risk management