Roofing business owner sentenced for $38K Wage Subsidy Fraud

Kelly Elizabeth Hunter previously pled guilty to two representative charges of dishonest use of a document.

MSD found she had submitted 22 fraudulent wage subsidy applications, 13 of which were successful, between July 2020 and December 2021.

The applications were made in the name of the business she was connected to, Roof Rite Wgtn Limited, and a number of different individual names were used as employees. Hunter also claimed subsidies for herself as an employee.

The applications were fraudulent because the business was not trading during the period they were made and did not have a decline in revenue that could have made the business eligible for payment.

None of the employees listed were employed by the business at the time of the applications were made.

The funds were not used to pay wages to any employees, instead they were used for personal expenses and online gambling.

In addition to the successful claims, Hunter made nine further applications that were declined.

Had these applications been approved, she would have received an additional $13,572.80.

District Court Judge Michael Mika gave credit for a guilty plea and Hunter’s personal circumstances.

MSD was granted reparation of $25,001.20, the total amount dishonestly obtained.

Hunter did not engage with investigators and has previously appeared before the courts.

A total of 73 people have been sentenced in wage subsidy cases, and another 36 people are still before the courts as part of MSD’s programme of work on wage subsidy fraud and integrity. Since the scheme started, more than $837 million* in wage subsidies has been repaid.

For more information about the Wage Subsidy Integrity and Fraud Programme please see here.

*Figures at 30 June 2026