Australians are facing longer wait times when calling Centrelink, with average wait times for social security and welfare calls increasing from 14 minutes and 14 seconds in the previous financial year to 20 minutes and 22 seconds this year.
These figures highlight the struggles faced by Centrelink’s workforce in keeping up with the high demand for services.
One of the reasons for the longer wait times is the lower staffing levels and decreased budget in the post-pandemic era.
Millions of Australians also still prefer to call Centrelink instead of using digital means, further contributing to the increased wait times.
Data tabled in estimates showed the average waiting time between July 2022 and 31 January 2023 across all Centrelink phone lines was 18.04 minutes, up from 14.14 minutes in 2021-22 and 4.06 minutes in 2020-21, when agency staff numbers were boosted for the pandemic.
Older Australians waited on average 28:11 between July and March compared to 21:30 the previous year.
Also read: Age Pension payment rates: 20 March 2023 to 19 September 2023
Parents and families waited longest for assistance, with an average of 31 minutes and 24 seconds, compared to 24 minutes and 45 seconds the previous year.
People seeking assistance with disabilities, sickness, and carers also experienced increased wait times, from 20 minutes and 59 seconds in the previous financial year to 28 minutes and 23 seconds in the nine months between July 2022 and May 2023.
While wait times for some other Services Australia programs, such as Medicare and Child Support, have also increased, wait times for health provider queries have decreased on average.
There were 25 million calls handled up to 31 January 2023. Of those, 8.3 million were answered, 2.1 million were terminated by the customer and callers received a ‘congestion message’ on 5.8 million occasions.
In comparison, there were 5.6 million congestion messages across the entire 2021-22 financial year.
Services Australia chief executive Rebecca Skinner told Senate estimates that the current call times were “less than … optimal”. She claimed the agency was dealing with similar labour shortages affecting many other large businesses around the country.
Ms Skinner said Centrelink was operating with 500 fewer customer service employees than average.
Services Australia is currently recruiting and has hired several new staff. The agency brought in 800 new staff members in January, with another 400 in February. But Ms Skinner says there is a performance “lag” due to the time it takes to train new employees.
While call wait times may have increased for some, it should still be noted that Services Australia has around 10 million customer contacts every week in service centres, online and by telephone.
“Most of our contacts occur online, with about 90 per cent arriving via digital channels and around 10 per cent in service centres or over the phone,” a Services Australia spokesperson told YourLifeChoices.
“This time of year is also typically very busy, and we’re also managing increased demand due to a range of policy changes.
Most customers interact with Services Australia using the MyGov app, online services, phone self-service or our other mobile apps. But many older Australians still shy away from these options.
“We also know older Australians want options when it comes to doing their business with us, and that’s why we’re investing in digital and self-service phone options, as well as face-to-face support such as our Aged Care Specialist Officers,” the spokesperson added.
“We now also have digital coaches who can provide in-person support to increase confidence using our online services.”
This report comes after Services Australia decided not to renew its contract with welfare agency Serco, impacting 600 jobs. When in government in 2017, the Coalition outsourced much of Centrelink’s customer service capabilities to the offshore-owned Serco at an estimated cost of more than $51 million. This contract came into affect after 1200 Australians were ‘released’ from DHS jobs.
The Labor government has stated that staffing levels are beginning to normalise and that emergency response capabilities have been bolstered to provide the best possible support for customers.
The government says it will address the staffing shortfall and that the Albanese government was “committed to strengthening the agency, so it can deliver Australia’s safety net for those who need it”.
The cost of living crisis makes it crucial for Australians to have access to government services and payments in a more timely manner.
Right now, Services Australia departments are in their tax peak season, and are carefully balancing call wait times with staff effort on processing claims.
Older Australians experiencing longer than usual wait times can find assistance here:
- The Centrelink older Australians line (132 200) is for older Australians who need help with their payments and services, including Age Pension.
- For more information about digital coaching visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/digitalcoaching
- We also encourage people impacted by cost of living pressures to talk to our free Financial Information Service Officers: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/fis
- For more information about Aged Care Specialist Officers visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/myagedcarefacetoface
Correction: The Serco offshore contract changed from $51 billion to $51 million.
Also read: Centrelink not to blame for services ‘crash’
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