Alleged cancer fraudster loses appeal over salary
Alleged Cancer Council fraudster Amanda Power has failed in an attempt to get the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission to scrap a decision by the Department of Youth Justice to stop paying her wage once she was charged with nine counts of fraud.
Ms Power started her employment as a youth detention worker at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in July last year – two months before she was charged with nine counts of fraud relating to allegedly faking cancer diagnoses and pocketing more than $10,000 in donations.
Police allege the former Townsville woman, who was formerly employed by Cancer Council Queensland, fraudulently became one of its ambassadors.
It is also alleged that she received almost $13,000 from a fundraising page, and from people in the community who donated money and services believing she had cancer.
According to the QIRC’S decision, two days after police charged Ms Power on September 21, 2022, she told her new employer that she had been charged with one count of fraud – not nine.
The department immediately suspended Ms Power with pay, but by October 14, 2022, the department informed her that the duration of her suspension would be unpaid.
The 32-year-old told her employer their decision was “harsh and that it would have a detrimental impact’’ on her, according to the QIRC.
Ms Power filed an appeal to the Industrial Registry on November 4, 2022.
However, QIRC deputy president Catherine Hartigan found that the decision to suspend Ms Power from duties without normal remuneration was fair and reasonable and dismissed the appeal.
Ms Hartigan agreed with the employer that the offences Ms Power has been charged with could “seriously diminish the public’s confidence in the department’’ if she were to remain on suspension with pay but was later found guilty of the charges.