Services Australia not meeting own processing time standards, data reveals

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.


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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.
Key Takeaways

  • Services Australia data revealed that Australians are facing significant delays in social service claim processing, with some wait times doubling standard benchmarks.
  • Aged pensioners in certain areas waited more than double the agency's standard time, while disability support and low-income cardholders also experienced lengthy delays.
  • The Coalition government services spokesman criticised the current government for the slow processing times and called for a comprehensive review of Services Australia's operations.
  • Services Australia acknowledged the extended wait times and apologised, mentioning the addition of 3,000 new staff members to help reduce the backlog and improve service times.
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.
 
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I had an issue with Services Australia regarding a rent certificate regarding my change of address- I was sent a hard copy of a rent certificate with my new details on it and all that was required was 2 signatures and the amount I pay. I received the document, completed it and uploaded it on 1 March. It had been returned within the guidelines. In the meantime my rent assistance was stopped immediately even though I had been paying my new rent since mid Feb. when I rang Services Australia I was told I was late in returning the completed Rent Certificate??? I received it on 1 March and uploaded it same day. There is no excuse for incompetence 😡😡😡
 
They’re extremely quick at cutting you off.
We care for our granddaughter, who applied for Youth allowance. We do not get funds from Services Australia, but received a small family payment which we used as “pocket money “ (we are covering her schooling & orthodontics) She applied Sunday, we were informed our last payment was Tuesday, and she won’t be processed till June 8 , if she us unsuccessful we can reapply . They sure can be speedy to take
 
on 13/08/2023 i updated my centrelink income and assest as they require you do whenever the amounts change. still waiting and cant contact them to fix. queue at centrelink office was out the door gave up waiting. cant update now as until they update the old update the updates are locked. good one centrelink
 
We have been raising our grandson now for 3 yrs and all we got was carers allowance while his mother still gets her payment for raising him and he is not in her care at all. When I applied for family payment for him centrelink cancelled it and told me I was only eligible for cares allowance which isn't enough to feed a 10yrold growing boy and that's to feed and cloth him I think its wrong the way we are treated by keeping our kids out of foster homes where I have seen these kids abused by the foster carers and child welfare turns there back on them.
 
We are on a pension and changed our car last March. The wait time on the phone to get an appointment was long and then I was told to upload all the relevant information. I did this in April and our account was then locked while we waited for them to process it. It was still locked in February but when I looked last week it was no longer locked but everything had reverted to 2022. Now I’ve got to start all over again.
 
Same excuses same problem . Put yourself in theses peoples shoes and see how you would feel with long delays . They have bills and require food. It’s a disgrace. Not looking forward to when my partner is requiring the pension, can just imagine the blow out on delays and excuses would be double if not triple.
 
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.


This is disgraceful, to say the least ..... yeah yea yeah we've heard it all before Mr Jongen.
Another one is probably on a 6 figure salary sitting at home in his luxurious mansion sipping his chardonnay after a long day's work.
How long has he been in this job? 5 minutes????
All his promises I have heard before, umpteen times......
Merely WORDS to quell the riots......
 
it's all the same nothing has changed I waited over 1 hour 40 mins just to talk to someone on the phone yesterday with Centrelink all empty promises like always the Government don;t care they all get their paychecks and don;t have to wait months for it
 
You can bet all the new staff know nothing about the system and will tell you anything to get the process closed. If those at Centrelink don’t know after years you can bet that new staff don’t know about grandfathering and the rules that apply to payments
The new people are trained to say the right thing to 'appease' the peasants.
 
We have been raising our grandson now for 3 yrs and all we got was carers allowance while his mother still gets her payment for raising him and he is not in her care at all. When I applied for family payment for him centrelink cancelled it and told me I was only eligible for cares allowance which isn't enough to feed a 10yrold growing boy and that's to feed and cloth him I think its wrong the way we are treated by keeping our kids out of foster homes where I have seen these kids abused by the foster carers and child welfare turns there back on them.
You need to ask for a review of the decision if the child is not in her care she is not eligible to receive payments for him
 
We have been raising our grandson now for 3 yrs and all we got was carers allowance while his mother still gets her payment for raising him and he is not in her care at all. When I applied for family payment for him centrelink cancelled it and told me I was only eligible for cares allowance which isn't enough to feed a 10yrold growing boy and that's to feed and cloth him I think its wrong the way we are treated by keeping our kids out of foster homes where I have seen these kids abused by the foster carers and child welfare turns there back on them.
She shouldn’t be receiving the benefit if she’s not caring for the child. It’s illegal.
 
I honestly can’t complain. We have an excellent office with great staff. We can walk in at anytime and get assistance, occasionally we might have to make an appointment for something specific but most times we get answers straight away. I can’t imagine having to be on hold on the phone for hours only to be hung up on. We are very lucky, and I so appreciate that
 

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