Beneficiaries unfairly accused of fraud - advocate

A beneficiary advocate says people who are in new or casual relationships are being unfairly accused of benefit fraud because of a vague threshold imposed by the Ministry for Social Development. A report by the Privacy Commissioner found ministry fraud investigators have abused their powers by collecting large amounts of highly sensitive information about beneficiaries since 2012, without their knowledge. The Commissioner, John Edwards, told Morning Report that they have been trying to find fraud by beneficiaries who are in relationships. Kay Brereton is a beneficiary advocate. She talks to Corin Dann.