Accessing welfare payments from Centrelink has long been a trying experience for many of our members here at the SDC–and many could attest to the complications and frustrations of encountering bureaucracy in accessing financial assistance, even when your need is dire.

It's a situation that Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old living in rural Queensland, grappled with while waiting months for her unavoidable and urgent jobseeker payments.

This is despite being a former Centrelink employee working for a small business assistance program.

As COVID-19 hit and Maryanne ran out of her early super drawdown, she applied for Jobseeker again, expecting a bumpy and exhaustive process. But even she was shocked at her difficult time, with the application undergoing lengthy delays that took months.

Seniors like Maryanne Watts had been experiencing long waits for their jobseekers payments. Credit: Teona Swift/Pexels

‘The first time it got held up was because they had asked for bank account details from the 23rd of February,’ Watts said. The earliest date on the bank statement she had submitted was March 9.

'I hadn’t actually had any transactions between the 23rd and the ninth. But because the date of the 23rd wasn’t on it, they didn’t accept it. So I had to go further back.'

Maryanne believed that this delayed her application, so she spent time trying to contact Centrelink, calling often and getting left on hold for lengthy periods.

'Every day, you try not to think about money, you try to get on with other stuff, whatever,' she says. 'But it’s always there. It’s this tension that’s always in your body.'

It got to a point where Centrelink’s contact service seemed to be at a standstill, with no one replying to her.

A couple of weeks later, this was further complicated when they asked her to provide an extra mortgage statement. The long wait came just as her bills piled up one by one.

Maryanne said she was told thrice that her application was marked ‘urgent’ due to financial hardship. Text messages came, promising someone would be in touch with her regarding her application.

‘But they didn’t,’ she said.

A Centrelink worker told her it was their policy to wait and have applicants call them instead.

Watts' struggles are not an isolated incident; instead, it highlights a common issue many applicants across Australia face.

Kristen O’Connell believes the longer waiting time is due to Centrelink’s understaffed call centres. Credit: TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

According to Kristen O’Connell, a spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, this was mainly due to Centrelink's understaffing of call centres.

‘What we know from people who have an urgent need for support is that it is nearly impossible to get through the Centrelink bureaucracy to get that support as quickly as you need it,’ O’Connell pointed out. ‘This is not an outlier situation.’

Call waiting times have been ugly for over a year, with the 2021-2022 financial year data revealing a 25% increase in 'congestion messages'.

When you add incorrect recordings of applicants' information, missing notations regarding hardship, and conflicting advice from customer service representatives–it's no wonder why people have such a tough time applying for and receiving payments.

Maryanne's wait ended after an exhausting six weeks when her application finally got approved.

Unfortunately, some people had to wait longer than Maryanne. O’Connell said that her application for the disability support pension took ten months of back and forth. She had diligently followed up every two weeks for her claim, only to be told she needed to provide more information.

‘Because of all of the work I do supporting other people with this process, I know that I am not alone,’ O’Connell added.

Hank Jongen, Services Australia’s spokesperson, said that most Jobseeker claims were processed within two weeks.

‘We’re sorry to those who are waiting longer. This is our busiest time of year with tax time and millions of families balancing their payments,’ Jongen explained.

‘We sincerely apologise to Ms Watts and have extended the offer to work directly with her to ensure she’s receiving all available support.’

‘We’re actively recruiting, but our staffing is returning to more regular levels now that pandemic-era work and associated extra resourcing has concluded. We’ve bolstered our emergency response capability with 850 staff directly supporting frontline service delivery. We’re drawing from this to help meet current demands,’ he said.

Key Takeaways

• Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old from rural Queensland, has struggled to process her Jobseeker application for months despite being marked as 'urgent' due to financial hardship.
  
• Kristin O’Connell from the Antipoverty Centre highlighted that understaffing of Centrelink's call centres and long waiting times were significant hurdles for those in urgent need. She also endured a long process for her disability support pension.
  
• Watts' experience is not an isolated one, with Centrelink call waiting times having increased
  by 25% over the past year.
  
• Despite apologies from Services Australia's spokesperson and assurance of additional recruitment, delays continue and directly impact the lives of applicants like Maryanne Watts.
  

Suppose you ever find yourself in a predicament like Maryanne's where your voice isn’t being heard or your information isn’t being considered. Take the necessary steps to ensure you won't miss out on the financial aid you are entitled to.

If a customer service agent has told you that your case hasn't been marked for urgent processing due to financial hardship, remain assertive and be persistent with your queries as you patiently wait for your payments, as you'll need plenty of evidence if you ever plan to present your case to a supervisor.

Inquire about any restrictions or loopholes regarding your payment, as understanding these documents would help make the overall process smoother.

Finally, don't forget that you have a right regarding welfare requests. Don't hesitate to contact the Antipoverty Centre should you have further questions or needs–they’ll happily hear you out and do what they can to ensure a satisfying resolution for all parties.

What do you think of this story, members? Have you encountered a similar predicament? Share your experience in the comments below!

 

[vickist.19]

i have and still am going through very similar circumstances, after taking an early retirement package from working 18 years in prisons, and building my granny flat with these funds being absorbed into the build, I suffered a stroke due to a heart condition and was left with low vision and having to learn to walk and speak again.
i applied for jobseeker which i was told i needed to do first as it would take 7 months for a disability pension to be approved, only to find that they said after a 4 month wait that i would not get jobseeker due to my payout from work until March 2024, I have now been 6 weeks trying to get through on the phone to lodge a hardship case with no one answering or being hung up on.
I have been living on my super drawdown and trying to keep myself above water with bills and medication
and going without to try make it to this date
this government has a lot to answer to and there will be blood on their hands before they are booted out of power

 

[mylittletibbies]

Just wanted to say my son and I Adelaide must be the lucky ones. My son has a back disease , he had 2 major operations and when he applied for a disability pension he recieved notice that the pension had been approved in less than a week. He is 28, which made it more amazing. When I applied 6 weeks later for carers, he wasn't coping while I was at work , that was approved within a fortnight. We went straight to a centrelink office, no phone calls. If possible that is definately the way to do it.

The Gods were definitely looking down on you.
I wish you and your son all the best

 

[mylittletibbies]

i have and still am going through very similar circumstances, after taking an early retirement package from working 18 years in prisons, and building my granny flat with these funds being absorbed into the build, I suffered a stroke due to a heart condition and was left with low vision and having to learn to walk and speak again.
i applied for jobseeker which i was told i needed to do first as it would take 7 months for a disability pension to be approved, only to find that they said after a 4 month wait that i would not get jobseeker due to my payout from work until March 2024, I have now been 6 weeks trying to get through on the phone to lodge a hardship case with no one answering or being hung up on.
I have been living on my super drawdown and trying to keep myself above water with bills and medication
and going without to try make it to this date
this government has a lot to answer to and there will be blood on their hands before they are booted out of power

Try your local member, that's what they are there for.
I had six months with no response from NDIS, local member fixed that in one day

 

[Rob44]

I did not have such a hard time when I applied for the pension. But still I had issues. I learned early on not to contact them by phone as I could not get through. So went directly to Centrelink office. Yes the documents I presented were not enough to I had to get others. Yes the waiting period was longer than anticipated. And every consultant you see at Centrelink gives you different information. I don't accent the justification that they do not have enough people to answer the phones.
I have a really BIG concern though - they know what goes in and what goes out of my bank account. I never gave them permission. How legal is this?

These days any organisation calling itself a "service provider" makes you wait as their telephone 'consultants" are busy because of an unexpected number of phone calls coming in. The last "wait-time" I had with an "energy provider", that is the company the that fronts for selling power on behalf of some power generator, was 1 hour. Telephone "providers" only make one wait for 40 minutes. So much for privatisation. Centrelink is one of those "privatised" government organisations, is it not?

I am old enough to recall when this sort of shite did not happen.

 

[Countryjohn]

Accessing welfare payments from Centrelink has long been a trying experience for many of our members here at the SDC–and many could attest to the complications and frustrations of encountering bureaucracy in accessing financial assistance, even when your need is dire.

It's a situation that Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old living in rural Queensland, grappled with while waiting months for her unavoidable and urgent jobseeker payments.

This is despite being a former Centrelink employee working for a small business assistance program.

As COVID-19 hit and Maryanne ran out of her early super drawdown, she applied for Jobseeker again, expecting a bumpy and exhaustive process. But even she was shocked at her difficult time, with the application undergoing lengthy delays that took months.

View attachment 27429

Seniors like Maryanne Watts had been experiencing long waits for their jobseekers payments. Credit: Teona Swift/Pexels

‘The first time it got held up was because they had asked for bank account details from the 23rd of February,’ Watts said. The earliest date on the bank statement she had submitted was March 9.

'I hadn’t actually had any transactions between the 23rd and the ninth. But because the date of the 23rd wasn’t on it, they didn’t accept it. So I had to go further back.'

Maryanne believed that this delayed her application, so she spent time trying to contact Centrelink, calling often and getting left on hold for lengthy periods.

'Every day, you try not to think about money, you try to get on with other stuff, whatever,' she says. 'But it’s always there. It’s this tension that’s always in your body.'

It got to a point where Centrelink’s contact service seemed to be at a standstill, with no one replying to her.

A couple of weeks later, this was further complicated when they asked her to provide an extra mortgage statement. The long wait came just as her bills piled up one by one.

Maryanne said she was told thrice that her application was marked ‘urgent’ due to financial hardship. Text messages came, promising someone would be in touch with her regarding her application.

‘But they didn’t,’ she said.

A Centrelink worker told her it was their policy to wait and have applicants call them instead.

Watts' struggles are not an isolated incident; instead, it highlights a common issue many applicants across Australia face.

View attachment 27430

Kristen O’Connell believes the longer waiting time is due to Centrelink’s understaffed call centres. Credit: TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

According to Kristen O’Connell, a spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, this was mainly due to Centrelink's understaffing of call centres.

‘What we know from people who have an urgent need for support is that it is nearly impossible to get through the Centrelink bureaucracy to get that support as quickly as you need it,’ O’Connell pointed out. ‘This is not an outlier situation.’

Call waiting times have been ugly for over a year, with the 2021-2022 financial year data revealing a 25% increase in 'congestion messages'.

When you add incorrect recordings of applicants' information, missing notations regarding hardship, and conflicting advice from customer service representatives–it's no wonder why people have such a tough time applying for and receiving payments.

Maryanne's wait ended after an exhausting six weeks when her application finally got approved.

Unfortunately, some people had to wait longer than Maryanne. O’Connell said that her application for the disability support pension took ten months of back and forth. She had diligently followed up every two weeks for her claim, only to be told she needed to provide more information.

‘Because of all of the work I do supporting other people with this process, I know that I am not alone,’ O’Connell added.

Hank Jongen, Services Australia’s spokesperson, said that most Jobseeker claims were processed within two weeks.

‘We’re sorry to those who are waiting longer. This is our busiest time of year with tax time and millions of families balancing their payments,’ Jongen explained.

‘We sincerely apologise to Ms Watts and have extended the offer to work directly with her to ensure she’s receiving all available support.’

‘We’re actively recruiting, but our staffing is returning to more regular levels now that pandemic-era work and associated extra resourcing has concluded. We’ve bolstered our emergency response capability with 850 staff directly supporting frontline service delivery. We’re drawing from this to help meet current demands,’ he said.

Key Takeaways

• Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old from rural Queensland, has struggled to process her Jobseeker application for months despite being marked as 'urgent' due to financial hardship.
• Kristin O’Connell from the Antipoverty Centre highlighted that understaffing of Centrelink's call centres and long waiting times were significant hurdles for those in urgent need. She also endured a long process for her disability support pension.
• Watts' experience is not an isolated one, with Centrelink call waiting times having increased
  by 25% over the past year.
• Despite apologies from Services Australia's spokesperson and assurance of additional recruitment, delays continue and directly impact the lives of applicants like Maryanne Watts.

Suppose you ever find yourself in a predicament like Maryanne's where your voice isn’t being heard or your information isn’t being considered. Take the necessary steps to ensure you won't miss out on the financial aid you are entitled to.

If a customer service agent has told you that your case hasn't been marked for urgent processing due to financial hardship, remain assertive and be persistent with your queries as you patiently wait for your payments, as you'll need plenty of evidence if you ever plan to present your case to a supervisor.

Inquire about any restrictions or loopholes regarding your payment, as understanding these documents would help make the overall process smoother.

Finally, don't forget that you have a right regarding welfare requests. Don't hesitate to contact the Antipoverty Centre should you have further questions or needs–they’ll happily hear you out and do what they can to ensure a satisfying resolution for all parties.

What do you think of this story, members? Have you encountered a similar predicament? Share your experience in the comments below!

I have been waiting 4 months for financial hardship assistance. They want taxi receipts for the last 12 months. I don’t have any ad I was living overseas. They still want them. They want the last 6 months of my pharmacy accounts and phone accounts, power. Still they want what I cannot give them.
Contacting my federal member? She is a joke, too busy trying desperately to sell the voice propaganda changes instead of working where people need them. That was 2 months ago.
Centrelink is a joke and needs overhaul and more staff. As the economy worsens they will only get busier so put staff in. You have an unlimited budget so if you do run out just put up our taxes. You could have put the money into wages instead of a referendum we don’t need.
Govt is no better. Shameful treatment with 2 and 3 hour waits on hold of a message telling me to call back when they are not so busy. Mr PM people on the ground are suffering while you are wasting time and money on a racist referendum instead of sorting out real problems.

 

[Gsr]

Total morons from my experience trying to get my grandson on youth allowance, he left school last November, told couldn’t apply for benefits until school resumed end January, in case he went back to school to year 12. Applied beginning February, had to provide bank statements, school leaving forms, our income statements etc etc. then they requested termination certificate from his casual student job at Maccas, which he left as they kept rostering him to start before he got home from school and wouldn’t accept that he was travelling over an hour from the trade college in another town and couldn’t start til later. Sorry we even mentioned Maccas on his application, Maccas took over three weeks of us phoning and dropping in about the form as they said it wasn’t needed, before it was filled in. Why they needed it is beyond me, it was a casual job as a school student, paying very little money. Finally in May he was told his payment would start, but not backdated to when we applied in February, only from the date of putting in Maccas form. They have a mandatory one week waiting period from approval date then you get paid three weeks after that, just two weeks pay. What a joke. Mind you, we weren’t even told he needed the Maccas form until the end of April, so it was their delay, not ours. He only received three payments before he got a job but they still keep sending him emails to report his income or he might miss out on his payments every fortnight. They know he is working and doesn’t qualify for payments anymore but obviously haven’t connected the dots yet such is their mentality. My nephew has just had the same, he applied in February and after they cancelled his application once and he reapplied he has finally jumped through enough hoops that he has been approved, but has not yet started receiving benefits. He has limited job prospects due to partial blindness, high anxiety issues and lives in a country area where jobs are hard to find.

 

[Caron]

The Gods were definitely looking down on you.
I wish you and your son all the best

Thank you.

 

[Maurice_McGahey]

I have posted several times before about my trials and. tribulations with Centrelink.
The fastest way to get your problems sorted out is to go through your local member. It's amazing how fast things start to happen..It is not the front desk staff that are the problem, they have a thankless job. It's the powers on high in Centrelink that create the stuff ups.
I was even told legal action would be taken against me for continually not submitting forms they had requested, even though I had submitted them 3
times, the second time by registered mail and the third it was done by computer in the bus that visits country town, by their own staff.They cut off my pension, my husband's and disabled daughters pensions
Sorted out in one day when local member got involved, no apology from Centrelink though for the stress they caused me
This has happened to me three times, wach time when moving home and buying a new property
God knows where all this private financial information ends up if they can't find it. It's very worrying in these days if identity theft

ABSOLUTELY! You have to get political entities involved. The Centrelink "backroom boys and girls think that Scott Morrison is still Prime Minister. They got their "backroom" positions by showing that they wholeheartedly agree with the Coalition's policy that every person on a pension is a bludger. New Zealand does not even ask! When you turn 65, you get the aged pension! It doesn't matter how much you earn from keeping on working or from investments ... you paid into the trust fund, you get payout. Of course our trust fund was raided. First by Malcolm Frasier, then by John Howard (who also stopped the 7.5% of PAYE and profits tax going into it. It was then written out of existence by Kevin 07, Kevin Rudd.

Best of luck to you all.

 

[JayEeGeeP]

I tried for the age pension when I turned 70, my husband died and apparently I wasn't entitled to his money from joining the pension bonus scheme when he turned 65 and then worked an extra 8 years. I had to produce 9 years worth of business figures and still that wasn't enough for them to believe he worked for that length of time. A suicide attempt and a breakdown and I gave up thinking I would get the pension. They are very good at avoiding former taxpayers getting the pension.

 

[Ree]

Centrelink in Victoria make you wait up to 6 weeks to get anything out of them. My son was living in his car and getting food from the Salvo's and still they made him wait........just to make sure he was desperate and needed financial help.

 

[ChasYoung]

Accessing welfare payments from Centrelink has long been a trying experience for many of our members here at the SDC–and many could attest to the complications and frustrations of encountering bureaucracy in accessing financial assistance, even when your need is dire.

It's a situation that Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old living in rural Queensland, grappled with while waiting months for her unavoidable and urgent jobseeker payments.

This is despite being a former Centrelink employee working for a small business assistance program.

As COVID-19 hit and Maryanne ran out of her early super drawdown, she applied for Jobseeker again, expecting a bumpy and exhaustive process. But even she was shocked at her difficult time, with the application undergoing lengthy delays that took months.

View attachment 27429

Seniors like Maryanne Watts had been experiencing long waits for their jobseekers payments. Credit: Teona Swift/Pexels

‘The first time it got held up was because they had asked for bank account details from the 23rd of February,’ Watts said. The earliest date on the bank statement she had submitted was March 9.

'I hadn’t actually had any transactions between the 23rd and the ninth. But because the date of the 23rd wasn’t on it, they didn’t accept it. So I had to go further back.'

Maryanne believed that this delayed her application, so she spent time trying to contact Centrelink, calling often and getting left on hold for lengthy periods.

'Every day, you try not to think about money, you try to get on with other stuff, whatever,' she says. 'But it’s always there. It’s this tension that’s always in your body.'

It got to a point where Centrelink’s contact service seemed to be at a standstill, with no one replying to her.

A couple of weeks later, this was further complicated when they asked her to provide an extra mortgage statement. The long wait came just as her bills piled up one by one.

Maryanne said she was told thrice that her application was marked ‘urgent’ due to financial hardship. Text messages came, promising someone would be in touch with her regarding her application.

‘But they didn’t,’ she said.

A Centrelink worker told her it was their policy to wait and have applicants call them instead.

Watts' struggles are not an isolated incident; instead, it highlights a common issue many applicants across Australia face.

View attachment 27430

Kristen O’Connell believes the longer waiting time is due to Centrelink’s understaffed call centres. Credit: TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

According to Kristen O’Connell, a spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, this was mainly due to Centrelink's understaffing of call centres.

‘What we know from people who have an urgent need for support is that it is nearly impossible to get through the Centrelink bureaucracy to get that support as quickly as you need it,’ O’Connell pointed out. ‘This is not an outlier situation.’

Call waiting times have been ugly for over a year, with the 2021-2022 financial year data revealing a 25% increase in 'congestion messages'.

When you add incorrect recordings of applicants' information, missing notations regarding hardship, and conflicting advice from customer service representatives–it's no wonder why people have such a tough time applying for and receiving payments.

Maryanne's wait ended after an exhausting six weeks when her application finally got approved.

Unfortunately, some people had to wait longer than Maryanne. O’Connell said that her application for the disability support pension took ten months of back and forth. She had diligently followed up every two weeks for her claim, only to be told she needed to provide more information.

‘Because of all of the work I do supporting other people with this process, I know that I am not alone,’ O’Connell added.

Hank Jongen, Services Australia’s spokesperson, said that most Jobseeker claims were processed within two weeks.

‘We’re sorry to those who are waiting longer. This is our busiest time of year with tax time and millions of families balancing their payments,’ Jongen explained.

‘We sincerely apologise to Ms Watts and have extended the offer to work directly with her to ensure she’s receiving all available support.’

‘We’re actively recruiting, but our staffing is returning to more regular levels now that pandemic-era work and associated extra resourcing has concluded. We’ve bolstered our emergency response capability with 850 staff directly supporting frontline service delivery. We’re drawing from this to help meet current demands,’ he said.

Key Takeaways

• Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old from rural Queensland, has struggled to process her Jobseeker application for months despite being marked as 'urgent' due to financial hardship.
• Kristin O’Connell from the Antipoverty Centre highlighted that understaffing of Centrelink's call centres and long waiting times were significant hurdles for those in urgent need. She also endured a long process for her disability support pension.
• Watts' experience is not an isolated one, with Centrelink call waiting times having increased
  by 25% over the past year.
• Despite apologies from Services Australia's spokesperson and assurance of additional recruitment, delays continue and directly impact the lives of applicants like Maryanne Watts.

Suppose you ever find yourself in a predicament like Maryanne's where your voice isn’t being heard or your information isn’t being considered. Take the necessary steps to ensure you won't miss out on the financial aid you are entitled to.

If a customer service agent has told you that your case hasn't been marked for urgent processing due to financial hardship, remain assertive and be persistent with your queries as you patiently wait for your payments, as you'll need plenty of evidence if you ever plan to present your case to a supervisor.

Inquire about any restrictions or loopholes regarding your payment, as understanding these documents would help make the overall process smoother.

Finally, don't forget that you have a right regarding welfare requests. Don't hesitate to contact the Antipoverty Centre should you have further questions or needs–they’ll happily hear you out and do what they can to ensure a satisfying resolution for all parties.

What do you think of this story, members? Have you encountered a similar predicament? Share your experience in the comments below!

 

[Suzanne rose]

Just wanted to say my son and I Adelaide must be the lucky ones. My son has a back disease , he had 2 major operations and when he applied for a disability pension he recieved notice that the pension had been approved in less than a week. He is 28, which made it more amazing. When I applied 6 weeks later for carers, he wasn't coping while I was at work , that was approved within a fortnight. We went straight to a centrelink office, no phone calls. If possible that is definately the way to do it.

I'm thinking Adelaide is the state to live in. I'm hearing plenty of great stuff

 

[Suzanne rose]

i have and still am going through very similar circumstances, after taking an early retirement package from working 18 years in prisons, and building my granny flat with these funds being absorbed into the build, I suffered a stroke due to a heart condition and was left with low vision and having to learn to walk and speak again.
i applied for jobseeker which i was told i needed to do first as it would take 7 months for a disability pension to be approved, only to find that they said after a 4 month wait that i would not get jobseeker due to my payout from work until March 2024, I have now been 6 weeks trying to get through on the phone to lodge a hardship case with no one answering or being hung up on.
I have been living on my super drawdown and trying to keep myself above water with bills and medication
and going without to try make it to this date
this government has a lot to answer to and there will be blood on their hands before they are booted out of power

Can I ask what state you are in

 

[ChasYoung]

The Centrelink (Services Australia) call centre is a joke. From mid-January I tried to get an entry in my Assets records updated. This was an entry that I could not update with MyGov.

Waiting for 2 hours or longer on the "Older Australians" number for someone to take my call was the norm.

I was asked to provide banking transaction details for 4 accounts going back 5 years. I provided this and waited for the update to take place; all to no avail despite having my request flagged as a priority.

After another several hours waiting on hold (the first two attempts had to be abandoned after 2 hours each as I had other things to do) I got through to a helpful person who advised that they had received my documents but that the request had NOT been prioritised. The request had to be reviewed by a special team within Centrelink and a priority request was sent to them.

Still no action.

After a further 2 hour wait getting through I spoke with another helpful officer who finally managed to get my request actioned within a few days.

It took over 5 months for my Assets to be updated so that I could qualify for a NSW low income benefit.

Chas Young
Davistown, NSW

e: [email protected]
m: 0419 919 703

 

[atomace]

Accessing welfare payments from Centrelink has long been a trying experience for many of our members here at the SDC–and many could attest to the complications and frustrations of encountering bureaucracy in accessing financial assistance, even when your need is dire.

It's a situation that Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old living in rural Queensland, grappled with while waiting months for her unavoidable and urgent jobseeker payments.

This is despite being a former Centrelink employee working for a small business assistance program.

As COVID-19 hit and Maryanne ran out of her early super drawdown, she applied for Jobseeker again, expecting a bumpy and exhaustive process. But even she was shocked at her difficult time, with the application undergoing lengthy delays that took months.

View attachment 27429

Seniors like Maryanne Watts had been experiencing long waits for their jobseekers payments. Credit: Teona Swift/Pexels

‘The first time it got held up was because they had asked for bank account details from the 23rd of February,’ Watts said. The earliest date on the bank statement she had submitted was March 9.

'I hadn’t actually had any transactions between the 23rd and the ninth. But because the date of the 23rd wasn’t on it, they didn’t accept it. So I had to go further back.'

Maryanne believed that this delayed her application, so she spent time trying to contact Centrelink, calling often and getting left on hold for lengthy periods.

'Every day, you try not to think about money, you try to get on with other stuff, whatever,' she says. 'But it’s always there. It’s this tension that’s always in your body.'

It got to a point where Centrelink’s contact service seemed to be at a standstill, with no one replying to her.

A couple of weeks later, this was further complicated when they asked her to provide an extra mortgage statement. The long wait came just as her bills piled up one by one.

Maryanne said she was told thrice that her application was marked ‘urgent’ due to financial hardship. Text messages came, promising someone would be in touch with her regarding her application.

‘But they didn’t,’ she said.

A Centrelink worker told her it was their policy to wait and have applicants call them instead.

Watts' struggles are not an isolated incident; instead, it highlights a common issue many applicants across Australia face.

View attachment 27430

Kristen O’Connell believes the longer waiting time is due to Centrelink’s understaffed call centres. Credit: TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

According to Kristen O’Connell, a spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, this was mainly due to Centrelink's understaffing of call centres.

‘What we know from people who have an urgent need for support is that it is nearly impossible to get through the Centrelink bureaucracy to get that support as quickly as you need it,’ O’Connell pointed out. ‘This is not an outlier situation.’

Call waiting times have been ugly for over a year, with the 2021-2022 financial year data revealing a 25% increase in 'congestion messages'.

When you add incorrect recordings of applicants' information, missing notations regarding hardship, and conflicting advice from customer service representatives–it's no wonder why people have such a tough time applying for and receiving payments.

Maryanne's wait ended after an exhausting six weeks when her application finally got approved.

Unfortunately, some people had to wait longer than Maryanne. O’Connell said that her application for the disability support pension took ten months of back and forth. She had diligently followed up every two weeks for her claim, only to be told she needed to provide more information.

‘Because of all of the work I do supporting other people with this process, I know that I am not alone,’ O’Connell added.

Hank Jongen, Services Australia’s spokesperson, said that most Jobseeker claims were processed within two weeks.

‘We’re sorry to those who are waiting longer. This is our busiest time of year with tax time and millions of families balancing their payments,’ Jongen explained.

‘We sincerely apologise to Ms Watts and have extended the offer to work directly with her to ensure she’s receiving all available support.’

‘We’re actively recruiting, but our staffing is returning to more regular levels now that pandemic-era work and associated extra resourcing has concluded. We’ve bolstered our emergency response capability with 850 staff directly supporting frontline service delivery. We’re drawing from this to help meet current demands,’ he said.

Key Takeaways

• Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old from rural Queensland, has struggled to process her Jobseeker application for months despite being marked as 'urgent' due to financial hardship.
• Kristin O’Connell from the Antipoverty Centre highlighted that understaffing of Centrelink's call centres and long waiting times were significant hurdles for those in urgent need. She also endured a long process for her disability support pension.
• Watts' experience is not an isolated one, with Centrelink call waiting times having increased
  by 25% over the past year.
• Despite apologies from Services Australia's spokesperson and assurance of additional recruitment, delays continue and directly impact the lives of applicants like Maryanne Watts.

Suppose you ever find yourself in a predicament like Maryanne's where your voice isn’t being heard or your information isn’t being considered. Take the necessary steps to ensure you won't miss out on the financial aid you are entitled to.

If a customer service agent has told you that your case hasn't been marked for urgent processing due to financial hardship, remain assertive and be persistent with your queries as you patiently wait for your payments, as you'll need plenty of evidence if you ever plan to present your case to a supervisor.

Inquire about any restrictions or loopholes regarding your payment, as understanding these documents would help make the overall process smoother.

Finally, don't forget that you have a right regarding welfare requests. Don't hesitate to contact the Antipoverty Centre should you have further questions or needs–they’ll happily hear you out and do what they can to ensure a satisfying resolution for all parties.

What do you think of this story, members? Have you encountered a similar predicament? Share your experience in the comments below!

Get a Boat go off shore come in and say your are refugee, no problems then

 

[Freeby60]

In 2

Accessing welfare payments from Centrelink has long been a trying experience for many of our members here at the SDC–and many could attest to the complications and frustrations of encountering bureaucracy in accessing financial assistance, even when your need is dire.

It's a situation that Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old living in rural Queensland, grappled with while waiting months for her unavoidable and urgent jobseeker payments.

This is despite being a former Centrelink employee working for a small business assistance program.

As COVID-19 hit and Maryanne ran out of her early super drawdown, she applied for Jobseeker again, expecting a bumpy and exhaustive process. But even she was shocked at her difficult time, with the application undergoing lengthy delays that took months.

View attachment 27429

Seniors like Maryanne Watts had been experiencing long waits for their jobseekers payments. Credit: Teona Swift/Pexels

‘The first time it got held up was because they had asked for bank account details from the 23rd of February,’ Watts said. The earliest date on the bank statement she had submitted was March 9.

'I hadn’t actually had any transactions between the 23rd and the ninth. But because the date of the 23rd wasn’t on it, they didn’t accept it. So I had to go further back.'

Maryanne believed that this delayed her application, so she spent time trying to contact Centrelink, calling often and getting left on hold for lengthy periods.

'Every day, you try not to think about money, you try to get on with other stuff, whatever,' she says. 'But it’s always there. It’s this tension that’s always in your body.'

It got to a point where Centrelink’s contact service seemed to be at a standstill, with no one replying to her.

A couple of weeks later, this was further complicated when they asked her to provide an extra mortgage statement. The long wait came just as her bills piled up one by one.

Maryanne said she was told thrice that her application was marked ‘urgent’ due to financial hardship. Text messages came, promising someone would be in touch with her regarding her application.

‘But they didn’t,’ she said.

A Centrelink worker told her it was their policy to wait and have applicants call them instead.

Watts' struggles are not an isolated incident; instead, it highlights a common issue many applicants across Australia face.

View attachment 27430

Kristen O’Connell believes the longer waiting time is due to Centrelink’s understaffed call centres. Credit: TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

According to Kristen O’Connell, a spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, this was mainly due to Centrelink's understaffing of call centres.

‘What we know from people who have an urgent need for support is that it is nearly impossible to get through the Centrelink bureaucracy to get that support as quickly as you need it,’ O’Connell pointed out. ‘This is not an outlier situation.’

Call waiting times have been ugly for over a year, with the 2021-2022 financial year data revealing a 25% increase in 'congestion messages'.

When you add incorrect recordings of applicants' information, missing notations regarding hardship, and conflicting advice from customer service representatives–it's no wonder why people have such a tough time applying for and receiving payments.

Maryanne's wait ended after an exhausting six weeks when her application finally got approved.

Unfortunately, some people had to wait longer than Maryanne. O’Connell said that her application for the disability support pension took ten months of back and forth. She had diligently followed up every two weeks for her claim, only to be told she needed to provide more information.

‘Because of all of the work I do supporting other people with this process, I know that I am not alone,’ O’Connell added.

Hank Jongen, Services Australia’s spokesperson, said that most Jobseeker claims were processed within two weeks.

‘We’re sorry to those who are waiting longer. This is our busiest time of year with tax time and millions of families balancing their payments,’ Jongen explained.

‘We sincerely apologise to Ms Watts and have extended the offer to work directly with her to ensure she’s receiving all available support.’

‘We’re actively recruiting, but our staffing is returning to more regular levels now that pandemic-era work and associated extra resourcing has concluded. We’ve bolstered our emergency response capability with 850 staff directly supporting frontline service delivery. We’re drawing from this to help meet current demands,’ he said.

Key Takeaways

• Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old from rural Queensland, has struggled to process her Jobseeker application for months despite being marked as 'urgent' due to financial hardship.
• Kristin O’Connell from the Antipoverty Centre highlighted that understaffing of Centrelink's call centres and long waiting times were significant hurdles for those in urgent need. She also endured a long process for her disability support pension.
• Watts' experience is not an isolated one, with Centrelink call waiting times having increased
  by 25% over the past year.
• Despite apologies from Services Australia's spokesperson and assurance of additional recruitment, delays continue and directly impact the lives of applicants like Maryanne Watts.

Suppose you ever find yourself in a predicament like Maryanne's where your voice isn’t being heard or your information isn’t being considered. Take the necessary steps to ensure you won't miss out on the financial aid you are entitled to.

If a customer service agent has told you that your case hasn't been marked for urgent processing due to financial hardship, remain assertive and be persistent with your queries as you patiently wait for your payments, as you'll need plenty of evidence if you ever plan to present your case to a supervisor.

Inquire about any restrictions or loopholes regarding your payment, as understanding these documents would help make the overall process smoother.

Finally, don't forget that you have a right regarding welfare requests. Don't hesitate to contact the Antipoverty Centre should you have further questions or needs–they’ll happily hear you out and do what they can to ensure a satisfying resolution for all parties.

What do you think of this story, members? Have you encountered a similar predicament? Share your experience in the comments below Last year I applied for the old age Pension for my husband as there hadn't been work for quite a while. I applied online in October 2022 I put all necessary paperwork in and put my particulars in. After SO many phone calls and been told that they were under staffed and that someone would get to our claim, finally received payment for the pension in January 2023 BUT there was no money put in for me so after another phone call the lady put in a claim for disability pension for me and for newstart as she said disability claim could take up to 3 months. The thought of having to go out in the workforce at the age of 64 with my injuries and Mental health I was absolutely in a mess. Even now months later and fighting tooth an nail to get disabilty pension they are now FORCING ME to go and apply for work.

 

[chrissy dame]

Accessing welfare payments from Centrelink has long been a trying experience for many of our members here at the SDC–and many could attest to the complications and frustrations of encountering bureaucracy in accessing financial assistance, even when your need is dire.

It's a situation that Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old living in rural Queensland, grappled with while waiting months for her unavoidable and urgent jobseeker payments.

This is despite being a former Centrelink employee working for a small business assistance program.

As COVID-19 hit and Maryanne ran out of her early super drawdown, she applied for Jobseeker again, expecting a bumpy and exhaustive process. But even she was shocked at her difficult time, with the application undergoing lengthy delays that took months.

View attachment 27429

Seniors like Maryanne Watts had been experiencing long waits for their jobseekers payments. Credit: Teona Swift/Pexels

‘The first time it got held up was because they had asked for bank account details from the 23rd of February,’ Watts said. The earliest date on the bank statement she had submitted was March 9.

'I hadn’t actually had any transactions between the 23rd and the ninth. But because the date of the 23rd wasn’t on it, they didn’t accept it. So I had to go further back.'

Maryanne believed that this delayed her application, so she spent time trying to contact Centrelink, calling often and getting left on hold for lengthy periods.

'Every day, you try not to think about money, you try to get on with other stuff, whatever,' she says. 'But it’s always there. It’s this tension that’s always in your body.'

It got to a point where Centrelink’s contact service seemed to be at a standstill, with no one replying to her.

A couple of weeks later, this was further complicated when they asked her to provide an extra mortgage statement. The long wait came just as her bills piled up one by one.

Maryanne said she was told thrice that her application was marked ‘urgent’ due to financial hardship. Text messages came, promising someone would be in touch with her regarding her application.

‘But they didn’t,’ she said.

A Centrelink worker told her it was their policy to wait and have applicants call them instead.

Watts' struggles are not an isolated incident; instead, it highlights a common issue many applicants across Australia face.

View attachment 27430

Kristen O’Connell believes the longer waiting time is due to Centrelink’s understaffed call centres. Credit: TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

According to Kristen O’Connell, a spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, this was mainly due to Centrelink's understaffing of call centres.

‘What we know from people who have an urgent need for support is that it is nearly impossible to get through the Centrelink bureaucracy to get that support as quickly as you need it,’ O’Connell pointed out. ‘This is not an outlier situation.’

Call waiting times have been ugly for over a year, with the 2021-2022 financial year data revealing a 25% increase in 'congestion messages'.

When you add incorrect recordings of applicants' information, missing notations regarding hardship, and conflicting advice from customer service representatives–it's no wonder why people have such a tough time applying for and receiving payments.

Maryanne's wait ended after an exhausting six weeks when her application finally got approved.

Unfortunately, some people had to wait longer than Maryanne. O’Connell said that her application for the disability support pension took ten months of back and forth. She had diligently followed up every two weeks for her claim, only to be told she needed to provide more information.

‘Because of all of the work I do supporting other people with this process, I know that I am not alone,’ O’Connell added.

Hank Jongen, Services Australia’s spokesperson, said that most Jobseeker claims were processed within two weeks.

‘We’re sorry to those who are waiting longer. This is our busiest time of year with tax time and millions of families balancing their payments,’ Jongen explained.

‘We sincerely apologise to Ms Watts and have extended the offer to work directly with her to ensure she’s receiving all available support.’

‘We’re actively recruiting, but our staffing is returning to more regular levels now that pandemic-era work and associated extra resourcing has concluded. We’ve bolstered our emergency response capability with 850 staff directly supporting frontline service delivery. We’re drawing from this to help meet current demands,’ he said.

Key Takeaways

• Maryanne Watts, a 60-year-old from rural Queensland, has struggled to process her Jobseeker application for months despite being marked as 'urgent' due to financial hardship.
• Kristin O’Connell from the Antipoverty Centre highlighted that understaffing of Centrelink's call centres and long waiting times were significant hurdles for those in urgent need. She also endured a long process for her disability support pension.
• Watts' experience is not an isolated one, with Centrelink call waiting times having increased
  by 25% over the past year.
• Despite apologies from Services Australia's spokesperson and assurance of additional recruitment, delays continue and directly impact the lives of applicants like Maryanne Watts.

Suppose you ever find yourself in a predicament like Maryanne's where your voice isn’t being heard or your information isn’t being considered. Take the necessary steps to ensure you won't miss out on the financial aid you are entitled to.

If a customer service agent has told you that your case hasn't been marked for urgent processing due to financial hardship, remain assertive and be persistent with your queries as you patiently wait for your payments, as you'll need plenty of evidence if you ever plan to present your case to a supervisor.

Inquire about any restrictions or loopholes regarding your payment, as understanding these documents would help make the overall process smoother.

Finally, don't forget that you have a right regarding welfare requests. Don't hesitate to contact the Antipoverty Centre should you have further questions or needs–they’ll happily hear you out and do what they can to ensure a satisfying resolution for all parties.

What do you think of this story, members? Have you encountered a similar predicament? Share your experience in the comments below!

A work colleague is currently applying for both Jobseeker and the Disability pension both benefits have extensive pages to fill in and the Disability Pension requires so much supporting documents it has taken her all day to fill it out will try to keep you updated on how she goes

 

[chrissy dame]

A work colleague is currently applying for both Jobseeker and the Disability pension both benefits have extensive pages to fill in and the Disability Pension requires so much supporting documents it has taken her all day to fill it out will try to keep you updated on how she goes

 

[Juney61]

The whole system is a joke, MPs need to start trying the processes we go through so they can find out 1st hand how difficult it is dealing with Centrelink for anything.
The whole system needs an overhaul to make it easier and a damn lot simpler for anyone to apply for basic needs , which it is, just simple basic needs. The wait times on the phone are a joke and 9 times out of 10 I have had to be put through to someone else because the original staff member is not qualified or knows very little about what im calling for.
The so called call backs, they never return calls, hence I make calls again, yes another wait in the long ques . I feel sorry for anyone having to go through the extreme anxiety I know it causes myself in these situations. Take care everyone

 

[Gaena]

So sorry for you Suzanne Rose, know exactly how you feel
In applying for disability support for my daughter many years ago now I went through the same thing, even though I had been receiving a disability child allowance for 16 years and it should have just been an immediate switch over
When I moved states they made me reapply, maybe they thought that by crossing the Nullabor my daughter's disability disappeared??
They even used to make us requalify every 5 years back in those days, even my friend whose son has downs syndrome. I wonder if they had to justify their jobs or something. Thank goodness that doesn't happen any more.
I got knocked back for a carer payment even though my daughter was born disabled and also suffered from schizophrenia, had to appeal it to get a result. The stress they cause people is indescribable.
I hope you get a result soon, if not try your local member, mine has been great.

Great advice to contact your local member of Parliment if you need help with Center Link, A girlfriend of mine who had worked at Center Link for nearly 20 years before gratefully retiring told me that nothing scares them more than the threat of a visit or phone call from an MP. I wrote an email to my local member asking for help When I was unable to contact my closest Center link office by phone to make an appointment. In frustration with my situation my husband called into the office himself to make an appointment for me. He was told and I quote " You cannot make an appointment for your wife, she will need to come into the office herself to make an appointment for another day and time" The customer service officer was completely unsympathetic when my husband informed her that we lived 150km away which meant I would need to make a 300km round trip just to make an appointment to come back for another day and time, total km driven by the time I had come in to make an appointment and then returned to actually speak with someone before then returning home would be 600km. I did as my girlfriend suggested and explained what had happened to my local MP, she apparently made a very short and concise phone call to the manager of that branch telling them my story and ended the call with "Sort It or else I will" When I went in to make an appointment as I had been told to do I was called in to see the manager who could not stop apologising, She admitted that the thought of the MP in question paying a visit terrified her. I did not sympathise with her at all but did compliment her for all the help that she gave to me during the interview. Sometimes our MP's actually earn the money that we pay them.