For Commonwealth social security fraud involving approximately $50,000 obtained over four years by an offender with no criminal history, a head sentence of two years imprisonment with a pre-release custody period of three months is within range, while five months may be manifestly excessive where the offending was unsophisticated and lacked exacerbating features. The increased likelihood of detection through electronic data matching between Centrelink and the ATO diminishes, but does not eliminate, the weight to be given to general deterrence.
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