108 CHARGES: WA EDUCATION EMPLOYEE ACCUSED OF USING DEPARTMENT CARDS FOR PERSONAL PURCHASES

A Western Australian Department of Education employee has been charged with 108 offences following an investigation into the alleged misuse of corporate purchasing cards in Broome.

Police allege the 52 year old Cable Beach woman used departmental cards to purchase goods and services for personal benefit while employed in an administrative position.

The alleged conduct occurred between May 2023 and November 2025.

The woman has been charged with:

• •84 counts of stealing as a public servant
• •22 counts of a public officer falsifying, destroying, altering or damaging a record
• •Two counts of forging a record with intent to defraud

Police arrested the woman at a Cable Beach residence on August 5 and executed a search warrant at the property.

The total amount allegedly spent has not been disclosed. Police have also not identified the purchases or revealed which Education Department workplace employed the woman.

The Department of Education has confirmed she was a Kimberley employee.

Executive director of professional standards and conduct Mary Brown described the allegations as “very serious” and said the Department was continuing to assist police.

The Department said the employee was “not currently in the workplace”. It has not publicly stated whether she has been suspended, dismissed or placed on leave.

THE CONTROLS UNDER SCRUTINY

The alleged offending period covers about two and a half years and includes 84 separate stealing charges.

That puts the Department’s financial controls under scrutiny, including who reviewed the card statements, approved the expenditure and checked the supporting records.

WA Auditor General guidance says government purchasing card transactions should be properly documented, certified and regularly reviewed. It also recommends that agencies appoint a reviewer and retain evidence that the reviews occurred.

There is presently no suggestion that a supervisor or another Education employee committed an offence. However, the scale and duration of the allegations make the operation of those controls a matter of public interest.

WHAT IS STILL NOT PUBLICLY KNOWN

Information still not publicly available includes the alleged financial loss, the employee’s position and workplace, how the transactions were discovered and whether any money has been recovered.

The woman is due to appear in Broome Magistrates Court on the morning of 31 August 2026.

Her name has not been publicly verified. No plea has been reported, and all 108 charges remain allegations that have not been tested in court.

UPDATE: 01 SEPTEMBER 2026

Monica King has been identified as the Department of Education employee who allegedly misused a corporate credit card for 30 months resulting in:

• •84 counts of stealing as a public servant
• •22 counts of destroying or falsifying a record
• •two counts of intending to forge a record