NDIS auditor's shocking past as a convicted fraudster is exposed
An auditor who inspects NDIS providers on behalf of the disability watchdog has been exposed as a convicted fraudster.
Lisa Scully narrowly avoided jail time for her offences when she was convicted in 2016.
Since then she has been working as a 'lead auditor' of NDIS companies, for a certification body approved by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Ms Scully has engaged in any wrongdoing in that time.
Prior to her appointment, Ms Scully was caught fraudulently approving invoices while working as a manager at Newcastle City Council, north of Sydney.
She was also caught accepting gifts including a coffee machine and an oven from a software company which was given a contract with the council.
Ms Scully pleaded guilty to being an agent giving false document to a principal, being an agent corruptly receiving benefit and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.
At the time of her offences, it was reported Ms Scully was in charge of overhauling the council's garbage system and was responsible for 140 staff.
A Newcastle Local Court heard Ms Scully allegedly accepted kickbacks after she fraudulently awarded a software company a tender for a new GPS tracking system for garbage trucks, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The court also heard that the software company had offered Ms Scully 'anything she wanted' and that she approved $36,000 worth of fake invoices.
The fake invoices were from the software company and were used so that Ms Scully could buy kitchen goods and electronic devices for herself.
Ms Scully was sentenced to a 20-month intensive correction order - a type of imprisonment sentence that is served in the community rather than in jail.
In January 2019, Ms Scully re-entered the workforce as a community, corporate support consultant at We Care overseeing NDIS audits, according to her LinkedIn page.
She describes herself as a 'lead auditor in NDIS, ISO and Australian Services Excellence Standards Compliance'.
Ms Scully's current role is as a 'Lead Auditor' at Global Compliance Certification.
The company, which is approved by the NDIS Commission, handles audits of various companies to certify they comply with the NDIS Practice Standards.
Managing Director at Global Compliance Certification Mousa Sharifi described Ms Scully as an 'amazing' auditor.
Mr Sharifi said Ms Scully was forthcoming with her prior convictions, had passed a police and working with children's check and was also recommended by three referees.
'We did our due diligence, and in the capacity of an NDIS auditor they have nothing to do with financials,' Mr Sharifi told the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Sharifi added it was not the company's job to punish people for things that they had done, as that was a responsibility reserved for the justice system.
Ms Scully is also the director of Allegro Associates, which is a company that audits and pre-audits for the NDIS Commission.
'My work focuses on audit readiness (NDIS, ISO, Australian Service Excellence Standards), policy and governance systems, organisational reviews, and strategic project delivery,' Ms Scully wrote on LinkedIn.
'With over 800 audit days completed and a background spanning executive leadership, quality systems, and service development, I bring practical, results-driven support to providers navigating compliance, growth, or service transformation.'
The NDIS Commission does not directly employ auditors. Instead, an auditor is hired through independently certified auditing bodies.
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