Addressing the risks of fraud and corruption against the Commonwealth is crucial to the
Australian Government. The Australian Institute of Criminology has administered an annual census on fraud against the Commonwealth since 2006. This report presents the results from the 2024–25 census, which collected responses from 162 Australian Government entities. Early detection of fraud and corruption is critical to future prevention and deterrence.

Key findings

• In 2024–25, 40% of entities received or detected a total of 14,323 allegations of internal fraud and corruption. 
• Program information was the principal target in the cases where an allegation of internal fraud or corruption was substantiated. 
• Monetary losses and recoveries from internal fraud and corruption were approximately $2.4m and $600,000 respectively.
• 36% of entities received or detected external fraud allegations in 2024–25, reporting a total of 348,072 allegations. 
• Most external frauds where the allegation was substantiated targeted program payments.
• External fraud losses reported for 2024–25 were $110.7m and recoveries totalled $5.8m.