Vida Reid: Founder of NDIS provider Forward Focused Group fronts court over bail conditions

Alleged NDIS fraudster Vida Reid, who is accused of using her position to rip off taxpayers and bully those she was supposed to be helping, has made another appearance in court — this time seeking to have her bail conditions relaxed. The founder and executive director of Forward Focused Group — an Armadale-based disability services provider — was ordered to report to police three times a week after being charged with two counts of dealing in proceeds of crime and two counts of general dishonesty causing loss following a major investigation involving multiple agencies. The National Disability Insurance Agency, which worked with the Australian Federal and WA Police, began looking into the not-for-profit earlier this year and then charged the 35-year-old alleging she defrauded almost $250,000 from the scheme by submitting false claims as well as overcharging some NDIS participants’ plans. It has also been alleged Ms Reid bullied, harassed and intimidated some of her clients. When she first faced court in October, she was granted bail on a $100,000 surety and a personal undertaking of the same amount and was ordered to report to police three times a week. During a brief hearing on Tuesday, Perth Magistrate’s Court was told Ms Reid wanted to vary her bail. Her lawyer Nick Scerri asked Chief Magistrate Steven Heath to reduce the number of days she has to front a police station to one day a week which he granted. After her last hearing in November, Ms Reid — who was recently nominated for this year’s AusMumpreneur awards — vowed she would fight the allegations against her telling reporters outside court that she would be pleading not guilty. However, she has not formally entered a plea. According to its website, Forward Focused is a family-owned and operated registered NDIS service provider in Perth which provides a range of services and programs that supports people and families who live with a disability. Following the charges, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission suspended the company and issued a notice of intent to revoke its registration. Ms Reid is expected to appear in court again in February.