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Mr BRAD HAZZARD (Wakehurst) [5.32 pm.]: I express my concern about reports in the media of an alleged fraud affecting many people living on the northern beaches, and much further across Sydney, involving travel tickets. Those people thought they were getting cheap air tickets but they have found that sometimes things that appear to be very cheap turn out to be very expensive. The allegation is that a 39-year-old woman has taken as much as $2 million from a variety of people trying to acquire air tickets from her. I will not name her, because she is still under investigation by the police. I am particularly concerned because many of these people lodged their fraud assessment sheets with the Dee Why police, Northern Beaches Local Area Command, up to eight weeks ago. Some were lodged in the early part of February and some were lodged earlier.
It appears that the local police do not have the resources to properly investigate this matter. The great majority of people who lodged fraud assessment sheets have still not been interviewed by the local police at Dee Why regarding the details of their payments to this woman. This is a complicated fraud. Some people are alleged to have lost in the order of $100,000, and the combined fraud involved so many people that the funds may tally up to something in the order of $2 million. It is time the Minister for Police made sure that this investigation was given additional support. The police at Dee Why are doing the best they can, but investigation should be transferred to a specialist fraud squad or the fraud squad should be brought to the local area command to ensure that an urgent investigation is undertaken with alacrity.
The allegations are that a 39-year-old woman may have taken up to $2 million in funds for the purchase of discounted air tickets. It is also asserted that a company at Kogarah, Swan Travel, may also have been involved. Whether or not Swan Travel was involved is pivotal. It is a licensed travel agent and other individuals are buying air tickets from the agency. If that company was involved in this alleged fraud, members of the community are clearly entitled to know that they should exercise a great deal of caution in dealing with the company. Alternatively, if the company is not involved, it should not have a black cloud hanging over it. The individuals who are buying tickets from the company should be given some sort of clear direction by the fraud squad that they are dealing with a trustworthy licensed company.
As I said, I will not name the woman. The travel agent has already been named in the press and for that reason I have named it. But I repeat to the Minister for Police that we need additional police on the job fast. I have received information from a host of different individuals, particularly Jo Ingleson and Peter Ingleson. They have lost a minimum of something in the order of $65,000. Their potential loss is greater because of money that would have come to them if they had received those tickets. I also call on the Minister for Fair Trading to investigate this and to make sure that everything that can be done is being done to ensure that those who are dealing with Swan Travel are being looked after. I warn members of the community that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is, so they should be cautious until the police do their job and get results.