A woman from north-west Queensland has been charged with fraud after applying for funds through a drought relief program.
The 56-year-old Prairie woman was charged with 67 fraud offences after making claims over several years to the Queensland Government's Drought Relief Assistance Scheme.
The woman is alleged to have submitted false claims to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries relating to the "Transport of fodder and Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebate" between 2013 to 2017.
As a result of these claims, she was paid $131,538.46. A further $129,419.45 was claimed, but was not paid.
Officers from the Major and Organised Crime Squad Rural (Charters Towers) conducted a lengthy investigation and today charged the woman in Hughenden.
She was charged with 67 offences including one count of fraud, two counts of attempted fraud, 32 counts of forging documents and 32 counts of uttering forged documents.
The woman is scheduled to appear before the Hughenden Magistrates Court on August 27, 2019.
The charges come after Agriculture Minister Mark Furner this week announced that drought declarations had been extended across the state following another failed wet season in many parts.
A total of 65.2 per cent of Queensland is now officially still in drought at the end of the wet season, up from 58 per cent in mid-March.
Five additional shires have now been drought declared, while declarations have been extended or partly declared in four others.
The new declarations cover Ipswich Regional Council, the remainder of Western Downs Regional Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council, the remainder of Banana Regional Council, Gladstone Regional Council, Rockhampton Regional Council, Livingstone Shire and the southern portion of the Central Highlands Regional Council including part of the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council area, defined as south of the Capricorn Highway.
Despite the monsoonal floods that impacted vast parts of north-west Queensland in February, the McKinlay, Richmond, Flinders and Winton shires remain drought declared, as does parts of the Charters Towers Regional Council area.
