Search by

Latest News

Speech by Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) Raelene Sharp KC at the 23rd Heads of Prosecuting Authorities of Commonwealth Countries Conference (HOPAC) held in Mombasa, Kenya on 10 June 2025. 

Good morning everyone.

On Tuesday 25 March 2025 the Treasurer, The Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP announced the 2025-26 Federal Budget, which included $12.1 million in additional funding for the CDPP, for the following measures:

The CDPP Sydney office is now located at 52 World Square, 52 Goulburn Street, Sydney, NSW.  

Physical access to the offices is via reception on Level 19. 

Telephone numbers, email addresses and postal address remain the same: 

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) Corporate Plan 2024–28 is now available and aims to guide and connect our strategic themes, as well as annual business and operational planning across our national prosecution practice through to 2028.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) Raelene Sharp KC confirmed that on 1 June 2024, Warren Day will join the CDPP on secondment for 6 months, as the Director’s Executive Officer. 

On 5 March 2024, CDPP staff acknowledged the 40 year anniversary of the Office being established.

The CDPP’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2024-26 is now available.

The CDPP has launched a range of branded cultural elements which were designed by

Federal Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, today announced the appointment of Ms Raelene Sharp KC as the next Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
The CDPP 2022-23 Annual Report was tabled in Parliament on 18 October 2023.

The CDPP’s Corporate Plan 2023–27 is now available.

NDIS provider ‘put himself first’ defrauding 19 people with disabilities

Year
2025
Location
South Australia

South Australian man Paul Tilbury defrauded the NDIA and made false claims against 19 NDIS clients on 42 occasions over a two year period between April 2017 and April 2019. The false claims totalled $404,010,58. Following a National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) investigation and prosecution by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) (CDPP) Mr Tilbury was charged with 19 counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception, contrary to s134.2(1) of the Criminal Code Act (Cth). Mr Tilbury pleaded guilty and on 18 March 2025, was sentenced in the Adelaide District Court to three years’ imprisonment with release on recognizance after one year and nine months.

Offending

Mr Tilbury was the CEO of the NDIS provider ‘People Come First’ (PCF) and he used his position of trust as a registered NDIS provider and plan manager to exploit the NDIS and its clients through a combination of overclaiming for service provided, duplicating claims and making claims for support services not provided at all.

Mr Tilbury made false claims against 19 NDIS participants’ plans. The participants had a range of severe disabilities including down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, visual and hearing impairments, acquired brain injuries, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. Some of the affected NDIS participants were children.

The NDIA cancelled some payments following complaints and investigated Mr Tilbury’s claims. The matter was referred to the CDPP in November 2022. In 2024 and in the face of a compelling CDPP case, Mr Tilbury indicated his intention to enter guilty pleas to all 19 charges.

Sentencing

Mr Tilbury had exclusive control of PCF’s bank accounts and transferred $410,841.78 to his personal account with descriptors ‘CEO loan’ and ‘CEO expense’. He also withdrew cash from PCF’s bank account. Mr Tilbury used the transferred funds on a range of goods and services for personal use, including rent, travel, fine dining, clothing and tobacco.

The Court found Mr Tilbury was primarily motivated by living a lifestyle beyond his means and by wanting to appear successful. This extended to his misuse of the title Dr Tilbury which the Court noted he was not qualified to use.

The Court heard from victims the fraud has impacted their trust in all NDIS providers and, because of the betrayal, they are now stressed about who they can rely on to provide the care they require. On sentencing, Judge Muscat said “[y]ou shamefully put yourself ahead of your clients.”

The Court recognised there were separate incursions into fraud against each NDIS participant but they were in effect one ongoing fraud against the NDIS. Judge Muscat imposed a single sentence on all 19 offences but discounted each sentence that would have been imposed by about 15%, for Mr Tilbury’s guilty plea.

The Court sentenced Mr Tilbury to a single sentence of three years’ imprisonment. He declined to make a home detention order saying it “would not be a sentence of appropriate severity for the totality of your offending”. Instead, he ordered Mr Tilbury to serve one year and nine months in custody before being released on a supervised recognizance in the sum of $1000. The Court accepted the CDPP’s submission and made a reparation order in the outstanding amount of $214,086.80.

Related material

ABC NDIS provider Paul Tilbury jailed for 'shameful' fraud depriving participants of support

NDIS Commission Compliance and enforcement action