By the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre, Attorney-General’s Department
Each year, organisations around the world come together to raise awareness about the risks of fraud and the importance of preventing it. This year International Fraud Awareness Week (IFAW) is being held from 15-21 November 2026 and the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre’s central theme, The Unseen Impact of Fraud: we all have the power to protect what matters, encourages us to look beyond the financial costs of fraud and consider its broader consequences.
Fraud can reduce services, divert resources and affect trust in government.
Every fraudulent claim, payment or transaction takes resources away from their intended purpose. It may mean support delayed for a family in crisis, services unavailable to a community or opportunities lost for those who need them most. These effects are often less visible than financial losses, but they can have significant and lasting consequences.
Understanding the impacts of fraud helps us make better decisions and strengthen prevention efforts. Preventing fraud is everyone's responsibility. Every employee has the power to protect what matters through the decisions they make and the actions they take each day.
Awareness is also one of our most effective fraud prevention tools. Understanding how fraud occurs, recognising fraud risk in our work and knowing how to respond to concerns helps organisations stay one step ahead of emerging threats.
When we prevent fraud, we do more than protect money. We protect services, opportunities, trust and outcomes for Australians.
To support IFAW, the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre is hosting two free online events that explore this year’s theme and provide practical strategies to strengthen fraud prevention across government.
Whether you work in service delivery, policy, governance, risk, integrity or fraud control, these events will provide practical insights to help you identify risks, strengthen prevention and protect what matters.
Reach out to the team for more information.
Please see 'Links & Downloads' for event registration links.