The process of applying for government assistance can be daunting, and for many Australians, the wait for much-needed support has become a prolonged ordeal.

Recent revelations have highlighted a significant backlog at Services Australia, with over 1 million claims across various payments yet to be processed as of December 31.

This has left some individuals waiting more than 100 days for approval, a delay that can have serious implications for those relying on these funds.

The backlog was brought to light through new documents released by Services Australia, which also announced the hiring of additional staff to tackle the issue.

The data from these documents paints a picture of the average processing times for claims between September 1 and December 31 of the previous year.

More than a million claims are currently pending processing at Services Australia. Image source: Services Australia

Notably, the Disability Support Pension and Low Income Health Care Card had the longest wait time, averaging 82 days for processing.

The Dad and Partner Pay applicants faced nearly an 80-day wait, while those applying for the Pensions Loan Scheme had about a 70-day wait.

Other payments, such as the Youth Allowance Apprentice, Carer Payment, and Essential Medical Equipment support, required applicants to wait more than 50 days.

Even the more commonly applied for JobSeeker and Paid Parental Leave had average approval times of 27 and 25 days, respectively.

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However, these averages mask the stark disparities in wait times based on geographic location.

The documents revealed that individuals in regional areas often faced longer delays than those in suburban areas when applying for the Age Pension, with some waiting between 70 and 211 days for approval.

In certain local government areas (LGAs), such as West Arnhem in the Northern Territory, Wandering in Western Australia, and Kangaroo Island in South Australia, the wait times exceeded 100 days.

The Farm Household Allowance, a payment offered to farming families in financial hardship, saw applicants in Barunga West in South Australia waiting an average of 166 days.

Paid Parental Leave also had significant delays in regional areas, with a 62-day wait on the Tiwi Islands and 58 days in Quairading, Western Australia.

One of the most heart-wrenching statistics was the 339-day wait faced by some couples in Strathfield, New South Wales, for support payments after the stillbirth of their baby.

JobSeeker applicants also experienced long wait times, with those in both regional and metropolitan areas, such as Shark Bay and Tammin in Western Australia, and Ryde and Hornsby in Sydney, waiting over 30 days.

Services Australia's CEO, David Hazlehurst, acknowledged the critical nature of reducing the backlog.

‘Resources are not allowing us to deliver the services that we want to deliver,’ he stated.

‘We will see across the next few months, as the 3,000 additional staff come online, we will see an increase in average speed-of-answer across the telephones and we will see a decrease in customers waiting for their claims,’ Hazlehurst added.

Despite these assurances, tens of thousands of claims have waited more than 30 days without resolution.

This includes 26,941 claims for the Age Pension and 29,173 claims for the Disability Support Pension.

There were also 14,919 unresolved claims for Paid Parental Leave, 13,782 for Single Parenting Payment, and 11,171 for Child Care subsidy.

As of February 8th, the government has granted over 50,000 claims for disaster support, paying out more than $62 million.

However, there are still 4,760 disaster payment claims awaiting assessment.

This news comes after it was revealed that in 2023, over seven million phone calls made to Services Australia were not answered but instead received a congestion message.

Services Australia addressed these issues by increasing staff numbers, which is expected to reduce call wait times and improve the processing of claims.

For our members who are currently waiting on a claim or considering applying for government assistance, this situation underscores the importance of submitting your applications as early as possible and ensuring all required documentation is complete and accurate.

Key Takeaways

• Services Australia is experiencing a backlog with over 1 million claims across various payments.
• Some Australians have experienced wait times exceeding 100 days for the approval of their payments, with regional areas generally facing longer delays than suburban locations.
• The department has hired an additional 3,000 staff members to help reduce the backlog and improve service delivery, expecting to see faster phone response times and fewer customers waiting for their claims to be processed in the coming months.
• Tens of thousands of claims for crucial payments like the Age Pension and the Disability Support Pension have not been resolved after 30 days of waiting, indicating a significant pressure point for the agency.

Have you faced long wait times for your claims? How have you managed during the waiting period? Share your experiences in the comments below.

 

[Suzanne rose]

The last thing a person suffering from depression/anxiety wants is pity. There are so many people who haven’t a clue about any form of mental illness or disorder, and they don’t want to know.

There’s a person I know who often says that saying, “Build a bridge and get over it.” She’d have to be the most self centred person I know. I actually pity her because of her ignorance and narrow mindedness.

I wish you the best outcome possible.

I have realised with alot of things unless you have experienced it you don't know or understand. I have also been there abd one positive thing is I now realise in life we can't judge others especially if we haven't been through it.

My psychologist has told me my brain is in protective mode and is trying to protect me from further negligence.
Everything she us telling me makes sense but making my brain comprehend it is another thing

 

[DLHM]

I have realised with alot of things unless you have experienced it you don't know or understand. I have also been there abd one positive thing is I now realise in life we can't judge others especially if we haven't been through it.

My psychologist has told me my brain is in protective mode and is trying to protect me from further negligence.
Everything she us telling me makes sense but making my brain comprehend it is another thing

I get what you’re saying @Suzanne rose, 100%!!

 

[Rob44]

How does this guy bkeep his job?

Ask your doctor if he is using mesh and if so what mesh is he using . Then research if the mesh he is using is ok .

I went private, private hospital ect and the mesh they used was recalled 3 years before my surgery. My surgery was Nov 2019 , the mesh was known to stick to organs and cause infection but double whammy the surgeon stapled it to my bowel.

Remember it's your right to ask questions and they have to answer you , doesn't matter if you are going private or public

That's private hospitals for you! I went private for a double hernia job and the butcher doing the op wore a purple set of overalls together with a purple apron stained with fresh red blood. The recovery room was the same room as the preparation room, enabling potential cross-infection from incoming patients to the one just operated on. And a guy wearing plastic PPE gear, I think the anaesthetist, walked out of the operating theatre, through the preparation room and out down a dark corridor coming back a couple of minutes later. My guess he went to the toilet for a piss. So much for hygiene practices; not quite as slack as Dr Emmelweiss' peers as I supposed he might have washed his hands. On his feet he wore protective plastic covers over his shoes. So his PPE or parts thereof picked up any bugs on the floor and carried them back into the operating theatre.

So the butcher did his job and a week later I crawled back in on all fours (charged $150 for the privilege by the receptionists) for him to drain the wound on one side and make a better job of it. However, I didn't get an infection; modern antibiotics are very useful for grubby surgeons and their crew.

As for my subsequent experience of a very serious, dangerous, late-night 8-hour emergency operation in the public hospital; a brilliant, clean (immigrant) surgeon and staff; and no infection despite 11 days or thereabouts unconscious in the ICU, fed and aerated by tubes. No doubt antibiotics would have been dripped into me, but I made an excellent recovery that made me miss my use-by date as ordained by fate.

And the ambulance staff were also superb.

 

[Rob44]

I have realised with alot of things unless you have experienced it you don't know or understand. I have also been there abd one positive thing is I now realise in life we can't judge others especially if we haven't been through it.

My psychologist has told me my brain is in protective mode and is trying to protect me from further negligence.
Everything she us telling me makes sense but making my brain comprehend it is another thing

Depression coupled with anger coupled with anxiety are perfectly normal, sane responses to getting damaged by idiots, and any associated constant pain and weakness don't help. That's no comfort but the sun comes up in the morning and that can help hope. As for pitying friends; don't begrudge them their pity; they'll get over it if you can laugh a bit when with them even though you tell them it bloody well hurts to do so. Best wishes and I trust things will improve.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Depression coupled with anger coupled with anxiety are perfectly normal responses to getting damaged by idiots, and the associated constant pain and weakness don't help. That's no comfort but the sun comes up in the morning and that can help hope. Best wishes and I trust things will improve.

Yeh my depression is one thing where I can't get my head out of a cloud. The anger to the surgeon is a constant how could he do this and at times I actually want to make an appointment just to go and yell at him or warn others .

I'm patiently waiting for the sun

 

[Rob44]

"and at times I actually want to make an appointment just to go and yell at him"

He would charge you $220 for the consultation............And you would probably need a referral from your GP, another $90, to see him especially if the previous referral period has lapsed. Now telehealth might offer certain....no, I won't go there.

 

[Suzanne rose]

"and at times I actually want to make an appointment just to go and yell at him"

He would charge you $220 for the consultation............And you would probably need a referral from your GP, another $90, to see him especially if the previous referral period has lapsed. Now telehealth might offer certain....no, I won't go there.

I am putting in a formal complaint against him. Since my operation I have found out others have gone through things with him.
He has been a surgeon for 20 years but came here from Sri Lanka

 

[Rob44]

I am putting in a formal complaint against him. Since my operation I have found out others have gone through things with him.
He has been a surgeon for 20 years but came here from Sri Lanka

The senior one who opened me up to put in a bit of public hospital hose-pipe was either Iranian or Indian, his junior off-sider was Indian and another one who was involved is also Indian. All excellent, otherwise I would be dead. There are good 'uns and bad 'uns, which is absolutely no comfort at all. Your story has just reminded me of a twerp surgeon in the NT who eventually got sorted out some years ago after doing far too much damage to far too many for far too long. The Royal College of Australian Surgeons could seem to be a bit sloppy in monitoring what goes on, despite running a 5-year training course for the accreditation of doctors to become professional barbers and surgeons.

 

[Liz]

Ask your doctor if he is using mesh and if so what mesh is he using . Then research if the mesh he is using is ok .

I went private, private hospital ect and the mesh they used was recalled 3 years before my surgery. My surgery was Nov 2019 , the mesh was known to stick to organs and cause infection but double whammy the surgeon stapled it to my bowel.

Remember it's your right to ask questions and they have to answer you , doesn't matter if you are going private or public

Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate. I feel everyone needs an advocate with them these days, unfortunately and when you are on your own you have to be your own advocated. Thank you so much again.

 

[Tinka]

To be honest being on here has saved me. I'm in contact with a few people on here and have made great friends . I feel none of my friends understand what I'm going through and can't understand why I nolonger go out with them or visit. They don't understand depression and when I see most of them I see the pity in their faces , which is why when they invite me over or they want to visit I'm busy.
Where as a lot of people on here know exactly what I'm going through.

I hear you, unfortunately unless people suffer from symptoms like you have they really have no idea what you're going through. I find also people on this site understand what others are going through. Best wishes to all.

 

[DLHM]

I hear you, unfortunately unless people suffer from symptoms like you have they really have no idea what you're going through. I find also people on this site understand what others are going through. Best wishes to all.

Also I’ve found that many people who don’t understand, don’t want to understand. Sad.