MEDIA RELEASE - CUSTOMERS LET DOWN BY SERVICES AUSTRALIA

PAUL FLETCHER MP 

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy 

Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts 

Manager of Opposition Business in the House

MEDIA RELEASE

Friday 29 August 2024

t’s an experience that is all too familiar for Australians who have been let down by Bill Shorten’s chronic mismanagement of Services Australia.

In an extraordinary column published in The West Australian, State political editor Josh Zimmerman has exposed in excruciating detail how his wife, Jade, was unable to lodge a claim for Paid Parental Leave by calling and visiting Services Australia.

Instead, Mr Zimmerman recounted that a service officer pulled he and his wife aside to impart some corporate knowledge gleamed from the learned helplessness that has come to define staff morale at Services Australia under Labor.

The staff member apparently told Mr Zimmerman of three ‘hacks’ to fast-track an enquiry:

1. Block caller ID so that the agency’s telephony system treats you as a new customer, not a repeat caller;
2. Call during non-peak times; and
3. If all else fails, call through to the complaints line.

Mr Zimmerman says he subsequently contacted the complaints line and had his matter resolved in around 10 minutes.

Mr Zimmerman is not alone in his frustration. Data obtained by the Opposition under Freedom of Information laws reveal that overall ‘Customer Satisfaction’ with the agency hit 78.9 per cent for the 2023-24 financial year to 31 March 2024. The agency’s internal target is 85 per cent.

Shadow Minister for Government Services Paul Fletcher said Australians are being forced to access Centrelink and Medicare payments through back-door channels because of declining customer service standards. “It’s unfair that Australians are being forced to try every trick in the book just to receive some basic customer service at Services Australia under Labor,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Australians resorting to ‘hacks’ just to get a simple enquiry resolved is symptomatic of the disfunction Bill Shorten has unleashed on Services Australia during his time as Minister. “The Opposition has consistently raised concerns about Australians being forced to use ad hoc channels. “In November last year, we exposed through Senate Estimates that customers were directly emailing the agency’s official spokesman, Mr Hank Jongen, and having their issue resolved within twenty-for hours. “I again repeat my calls for there to be a root and branch review of Services Australia to get this vital agency back on track.”

Shadow Minister for Government Services Paul Fletcher said Australians are being forced to access Centrelink and Medicare payments through back-door channels because of declining customer service standards.

“It’s unfair that Australians are being forced to try every trick in the book just to receive some basic customer service at Services Australia under Labor,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Australians resorting to ‘hacks’ just to get a simple enquiry resolved is symptomatic of the disfunction Bill Shorten has unleashed on Services Australia during his time as Minister.

“The Opposition has consistently raised concerns about Australians being forced to use ad hoc channels.

“In November last year, we exposed through Senate Estimates that customers were directly emailing the agency’s official spokesman, Mr Hank Jongen, and having their issue resolved within twenty-for hours.

“I again repeat my calls for there to be a root and branch review of Services Australia to get this vital agency back on track.”