Services Australia not meeting own processing time standards, data reveals
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The wait for social service payments in Australia has become a test of patience for many, with recent data showing that some Aussies are waiting well beyond the standard processing times for their claims.
This delay is causing significant stress and hardship for those reliant on these payments, particularly in certain parts of the country.
Services Australia, the government agency responsible for delivering social security payments and services, has standards for processing times.
However, the data tabled at last month’s additional estimates shows that these standards are not being met in many cases.
For instance, aged pensioners in Longreach, rural Queensland, faced an average wait of 105 days for their claims to be processed, which is more than double the agency's timeliness standard of 49 days.
The situation is not isolated to Longreach. Between July 1 and December 31 of the previous year, age pension claim times exceeded the 49-day standard in nearly every local government area, with claimants in Kangaroo Valley waiting an average of 111 days.
Disability support pensioners in Sydney’s Woollahra faced an even longer wait of 152 days, surpassing the 84-day standard by over two months.
Additionally, individuals applying for Low Income Cards in Darwin experienced an average processing time of 80.3 days, far exceeding the 28-day standard set by Services Australia.
Services Australia has acknowledged the delays and cited workforce issues as contributing to the long wait times, which have been a problem for years.
The backlog in claim processing and increased call wait times have been a source of frustration for many Australians, leading to a rise in user-aborted phone calls and further exacerbating the issue.
In response to the growing concern, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten announced the addition of new staff members last November to help alleviate the pressure on the service.
These new recruits are currently being trained and are expected to assist in reducing the backlog of claims and call wait times.
At the same time, Coalition government services spokesman Paul Fletcher has criticised the current state of affairs, demanding that the Labor government 'fix this mess and improve the agency’s performance’.
‘Communities in every corner of Australia are being plagued by payment delays. Australians need these payments made fast and efficiently, but they are being processed at a snail’s pace which only adds to people’s anxiety and stress,’ he said.
‘Bill Shorten can’t hide from these figures. No community is immune from Services Australia’s incompetence and it’s embarrassing. Australians deserve better.’
Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen has expressed regret over the longer-than-desired processing times and has apologised to those who have been waiting longer than necessary.
‘We sincerely apologise to people who are waiting longer than they should,’ he said.
‘We now have 3000 new staff to help process claims and take calls. They’re being comprehensively trained and are already helping with calls and claims across the board.’
He remains optimistic, stating that the new staff members have already processed more than 380,000 Centrelink claims and Medicare activities and handled almost 600,000 calls.
‘We are starting to see early signs of improvement in some claim types and expect claim numbers to continue reducing over the coming months,’ he added.
Just recently, a firefighter with six children found himself in a dire situation when he was reportedly cut off from Centrelink support for weeks. What happened? You can read the rest here.
We encourage our members to share their experiences with Services Australia in the comments below. Have you faced long wait times for your payments? How has this affected you, and what steps have been taken to address the issue? Tell us below.
This delay is causing significant stress and hardship for those reliant on these payments, particularly in certain parts of the country.
Services Australia, the government agency responsible for delivering social security payments and services, has standards for processing times.
However, the data tabled at last month’s additional estimates shows that these standards are not being met in many cases.
For instance, aged pensioners in Longreach, rural Queensland, faced an average wait of 105 days for their claims to be processed, which is more than double the agency's timeliness standard of 49 days.
Long call waiting times have plagued Centrelink. Image Credit: Shutterstock
The situation is not isolated to Longreach. Between July 1 and December 31 of the previous year, age pension claim times exceeded the 49-day standard in nearly every local government area, with claimants in Kangaroo Valley waiting an average of 111 days.
Disability support pensioners in Sydney’s Woollahra faced an even longer wait of 152 days, surpassing the 84-day standard by over two months.
Additionally, individuals applying for Low Income Cards in Darwin experienced an average processing time of 80.3 days, far exceeding the 28-day standard set by Services Australia.
Services Australia has acknowledged the delays and cited workforce issues as contributing to the long wait times, which have been a problem for years.
The backlog in claim processing and increased call wait times have been a source of frustration for many Australians, leading to a rise in user-aborted phone calls and further exacerbating the issue.
In response to the growing concern, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten announced the addition of new staff members last November to help alleviate the pressure on the service.
These new recruits are currently being trained and are expected to assist in reducing the backlog of claims and call wait times.
At the same time, Coalition government services spokesman Paul Fletcher has criticised the current state of affairs, demanding that the Labor government 'fix this mess and improve the agency’s performance’.
‘Communities in every corner of Australia are being plagued by payment delays. Australians need these payments made fast and efficiently, but they are being processed at a snail’s pace which only adds to people’s anxiety and stress,’ he said.
‘Bill Shorten can’t hide from these figures. No community is immune from Services Australia’s incompetence and it’s embarrassing. Australians deserve better.’
Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen has expressed regret over the longer-than-desired processing times and has apologised to those who have been waiting longer than necessary.
‘We sincerely apologise to people who are waiting longer than they should,’ he said.
‘We now have 3000 new staff to help process claims and take calls. They’re being comprehensively trained and are already helping with calls and claims across the board.’
He remains optimistic, stating that the new staff members have already processed more than 380,000 Centrelink claims and Medicare activities and handled almost 600,000 calls.
‘We are starting to see early signs of improvement in some claim types and expect claim numbers to continue reducing over the coming months,’ he added.
Just recently, a firefighter with six children found himself in a dire situation when he was reportedly cut off from Centrelink support for weeks. What happened? You can read the rest here.
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