LPT: if anybody needs to but can’t get through to Centrelink, go into one of the services Australia branch. If they can’t fix your problem, they’ll connect you to an internal number which doesn’t just hang up on you.
It’s fucking disgraceful that they don’t even answer the phone anymore. Seriously one of the stupidest things they’ve rolled out. There’s no ifs or buts about it, it’s disgusting and needs to stop.
You can also try calling the complaints number and they can do the same thing as the branch people, but I’ve heard conflicting reports about this. It used to be how you had to get through, but I’ve heard recently that sometimes that number just hangs up on you too. But if they do answer, they’ll will usually just put you through to a non hanging up number, at least if it means you won’t make them do the paperwork to lodge a complaint.
Also, when you do get through, please try to remember that they’re just minimum wage people doing a shitty job. They don’t make the phones hang up on you, and they aren’t the reason your claims take months to process, or you were underpaid, or whatever’s gone wrong. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You can express your annoyance to them, but abusing or yelling at them doesn’t fix the problem, and won’t make them answer quicker.
If you really want somebody to yell at, write a letter or email to your local MP. Or the minister for social services. Or anyone else who’s penny pinching tactics caused this whole mess
Also remember you’ll get through this soon, even though it doesn’t feel like it in the moment
Are we actually screwing people though, or simply inconveniencing them though? They can still get in contact… Just not as quickly.
That’s my point…
Centrelink doesn’t necessarily need to provide FAST service… I can’t imagine anything they do is an actual emergency.
Whereas, there are so many services we have that are for ACTUAL emergencies, and require fast service, where the money would save lives.
Screwing. 100% screwing.
An inconvenience is not being able to get someone on the phone in minutes or hours. Screwing is making someone spend days, weeks or months trying to get you on the phone and navigate a system that’s supposed to help them, not hurt them.
My dad isn’t at pension age yet and has been struggling the last few years whilst being a full time carer of my grandmother. It has often taken days to weeks of calling to get through and weeks to months get things approved.
You have this so backwards.
Centrelink saves lives. Support saves lives. Welfare saves lives.
If you don’t support people then they end up having to use the emergency services. Is it cheaper to support people before the need emergency services rather than after. You can’t house all the unemployed, disabled, pensioners, veterans (and other people I’ve probably forgotten) in emergency wards, these people don’t magically end up fed, housed and cared for if make Centrelink and related services a nightmare to deal with.
My dad has been keeping my grandmother out of hospital. She’s now in a nursing home, funded mostly by government, that is keeping her out of hospital. It is extremely costly to put her in a hospital bed.
"Waiting times for calls to Services Australia have ballooned with average times on hold to Centrelink growing to just over half an hour. Not months. Not even hours… And you can do it whilst on hands free…
I’d prefer instead that they put more money towards public health (and that would help your grandma a lot more). Or hire more police. Or even better training for the suicide helplines.
In fact, instead of hiring another phone operator, you could even hire someone instead to provide free training to hundreds of Australians in industries with insufficient workers for each year, for the same cost. Hiring lots of new workers to reduce wait time by 20mins isn’t life changing… Providing free training to hundreds of people would be however.
Nurses and teachers are also overworked, so supplementing them with more people to reduce burnout is also super important. Parks VIC is understaffed too, and in practice, Friends of Parks is doing a lot of the work currently.
I know its not a popular opinion, but a 30minute wait time on a phone, is NOT a big deal, and it certainly isn’t life changing imho