A woman has been ordered to repay money she fraudulently applied for and complete community service, avoiding jail after rorting a government program designed to support farmers.
Heidi Barrat, 31, was charged in November with 10 counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception and one count of deal with identity information to commit indictable offence.
The NSW government offered what were supposed to be one-off $500 payments under the Mouse Control Rebate, intended to help farmers and other residents of country NSW deal with a "mouse plague".
Barrat applied for 120 of them, police alleged.
She pleaded guilty and received a two-year intensive correction order at Wagga Wagga Local Court on Monday.
Magistrate Rebecca Hosking ordered Barrat to complete 300 hours of community service and pay $60,000 to Service NSW.
She will be required to stay off drugs and alcohol, and participate in treatment programs. She must also submit to supervision and not commit any further offences while under the intensive corrections order.
