Government reveals to drastically cut Centrelink payment wait times

Centrelink, the government service responsible for delivering various payments and services for people from different backgrounds, is set to become more efficient and responsive.

A promising update was announced for those awaiting Centrelink payments: the long wait times are expected to be significantly reduced in the near future.

This comes as a relief to many Australians who rely on these payments for their day-to-day living expenses.



The government agency Services Australia has indicated that a backlog of over one million claims is anticipated to return to normal levels by the middle of the year.

This is largely due to a mass recruitment drive that has seen the agency add over 3,000 new staff members to its workforce.


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Services Australia announced that longer waiting times will be reduced in the near future. Credit: Shutterstock


The impact of this recruitment effort is already being felt, with figures revealing that more than 500,000 Centrelink and Medicare claims have been processed and removed from the backlog in just 10 weeks.

The backlog, which stood at 1.1 million claims as of December 2023 and peaked at 1.35 million, has been a pressing issue for Services Australia.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has acknowledged the public's frustration and expressed a commitment to swiftly resolving the issue.

'We absolutely acknowledge the frustration of people waiting for payments, but for the first time in a long time, we are headed in the right direction,' he stated.

‘These new recruits helped reduce claims by almost 40 per cent, and Australians will continue to see improvements as the new staff increases their skills and experience.’

‘We hope to reduce outstanding claims back to usual levels by mid-year.’



This initiative is part of a broader effort by the federal government, which announced more than $200 million in funding in 2023 to hire additional staff to manage the increasing volume of claims.

Services Australia's Chief Executive, David Hazlehurst, has expressed that the number of outstanding claims will be between 400,000 and 500,000 by April.

While the hiring process began in January, Hazlehurst has cautioned that the training required for new staff will take some time before the backlog is significantly reduced.



However, the progress is undeniable, with Medicare online account claims decreasing by 78 per cent and claims for Commonwealth seniors health cards declining by 59 per cent.

‘Reducing the outstanding claims will help bring down call wait times as fewer people will be on the phone to check what’s happening with their claims,’ Shorten said.
Key Takeaways
  • Services Australia is on track to reduce Centrelink and Medicare claims backlog to normal levels by mid-year after hiring over 3000 new staff.
  • The backlog of claims, which stood at 1.1 million in December 2023, was reduced by almost 40% within 10 weeks.
  • The federal government allocated more than $200 million in funding for additional staff to address the growing number of claims.
  • The reduction in outstanding claims is expected to decrease call wait times, as fewer people will need to phone in about their claims.
What do you think about Services Australia's announcement? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it too. Last year I had to wait 6 months to receive my study allowance. This year it's slightly better after complaining about last year, they have only made me wait for 3 months, but haven't paid me any backpay, despite me having my documents in by December 2023 with evidence of enrollment in January and doing everything that I was asked to do. The mistake is their end, but I have to ask for a review! Can't they just look it up and see that they haven't paid any backpay? It's a mistake, not an incorrect decision. They now say that I applied on 10 April, yet the one off payment stated 1/1/2024, yet the documentation that they are paying me on is dated December 2023 and evidence is dated January 2024. It's hard to fix incompetence!
 
Hopefully they will be putting a lot more on telephone duty as well, so those are now answered in a timely manner too.
Hopefully if they do they put people who can answer customers questions on any area of services Australia, payments, claims, wait times, paperwork etc etc, and not people who have no idea what you need to know like I get most of the time when I ring now. Most of them are no help at all, which is so annoying when I have waited for an hour or more, listening to their crappy music and messages, before I even get an answer.
 
They sure did under Horrorson. Many of the more senior, experienced staff, thousands of them were made redundant. I guess anything to make life more difficult for those deemed unworthy by that disgraceful thing that masqeraded as pm and his cronies.
And I’m sure when they were “offered “ redundancy it went with a huge payout, which is why so many accepted. You’d be a mug if you didn’t, especially if you were older and had been there for years. Grab the money and run, take all your knowledge with you, let the people trying to deal with the new, no knowledge staff suffer the consequences. Live it up in your well paid taxpayer funded retirement.
 
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And I’m sure when they were “offered “ redundancy it went with a huge payout, which is why so many accepted. You’d be a mug if you didn’t, especially if you were older and had been there for years. Grab the money and run, take all your knowledge with you, let the people trying to deal with the new, no knowledge staff suffer the consequences. Live it up in your well paid taxpayer funded retirement.
I am not sure how the taxation works now but retirees in these circumstances had to use some portion of this amount before claiming Unemployment Benefits if they had a notion to. Nothing stopping them finding a new job immediately without penalty of course.
 
It's a step in the right direction, I have dealt with very inexperienced staff on the phone after waiting over 45mins, even 2 to 3hrs. On occasions after getting through you would be explaining your claim when you get disconnected or calls just dropping out.
Needs a lot more to reduce wait times, because each time you call up either they can't answer the questions you want answered or even take notes correctly. Staff also need remind callers or give the caller a call receipt number to keep records of that call. People after a long conversation can forget to ask for a call receipt for there own record, so the next time the client doesn't need keep explaining the same things over different calls. This could hinder or slow down the claims process. Correct Information is vital to get a positive outcome for vulnerable people this would shorten the claim times. Peoples Mental Health should be taken seriously and taken into consideration during the claims process.
PS: Staff only should help with claims and to not provide there own opinion about a person's situation.
Example: Why don't you go look for work or get financial assistance from a bank.
This only will leave a negative impact on that person's well-being while people are dealing with their own mental health.
Even running the risk of that person thinking of suicide after dealing with Services Australia Centrelink Staff members.
Please be respectful!
 
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WOH..I just saw a flock of pink Pigs fly by my window.........

'We absolutely acknowledge the frustration of people waiting for payments, but for the first time in a long time, we are headed in the right direction,' he stated.
Yeah, yeah... we've heard it all before.... like a broken record... where is the measurement????? You need a measurement otherwise it will just carry on...

‘These new recruits helped reduce claims by almost 40 per cent, and Australians will continue to see improvements as the new staff increases their skills and experience.’

‘We hope to reduce outstanding claims back to usual levels by mid-year.’
Well he has 2 months to fix it... mid year is fast approaching.
 

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