They built a business empire that cashes in on veterans. It's made millions
An investigation by Four Corners has revealed that the Veteran Benefits Australia (VBA) network allegedly exploited veterans for profit. The company is accused of turning veterans into sales leads to bill the government for unnecessary services.
Why it matters
This exposes potential systemic fraud against taxpayer-funded veteran care programs and highlights the vulnerability of veterans to predatory business practices.
The Veteran Benefits Australia empire is the brainchild of friends Nick Flanigan and Tom Bailey. ( Supplied )
Link copied Share Share article From the outside, the only clues something was up in the industrial estate office building in Brisbane's south were the expensive cars with personalised plates clogging the driveway.
Inside, the lavishly decorated office had gold accents in the bathroom and chandeliers in the kitchen where staff had Monday lunches.
This was the heart of the Veteran Benefits Australia (VBA) empire — the brainchild of exercise physiologist Nick Flanigan and pharmacist Tom Bailey.
The organisation appeared to simply connect veterans to the taxpayer-funded care they needed.
But a Four Corners investigation has found that behind the scenes, the companies in the VBA network have made millions by turning veterans into valuable sales leads on an industrial scale.
A Christmas staff lunch in VBA's headquarters. ( Supplied )
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