Tens of Thousands of Calls Unanswered as Agency in Charge of Centrelink and Medicare Struggles

A Medicare and Centrelink office sign is seen at Bondi Junction in Sydney, Australia, on March 21, 2016. Matt King/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of calls to one of Australia’s most important domestic government agencies are allegedly going unanswered, leaving thousands of Australians without access to vital everyday services.

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has revealed that due to significant staffing shortfalls in Services Australia-the agency that oversees government programs like Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support, there were tens of thousands of calls going unanswered.

Melissa Donnelly, the CPSU National Secretary, has said that it was clear the staffing situation in the department had reached a crisis point, and the federal government needed to act quickly to secure the future of current employees and increase overall staffing numbers.

People queue up outside a Centrelink office for government payments in Melbourne on April 20, 2020. William West/AFP via Getty Images

“Prior to the pandemic Services Australia staffing levels were not adequate, and they aren’t adequate now,” Ms. Donnelly said.

“Tens of thousands of phone calls are going unanswered every day in Services Australia because there aren’t enough people working in the agency to meet demand.

“The numbers we are seeing are alarming, as is the feedback from the community. We fear that the current situation is worse than anything we’ve seen in the past.

Australians Seeking Government Help to Find It Harder to Access

The union is worried that this situation will only worsen as many Services Australia employees who are engaged on casual or non-ongoing contracts are facing unemployment this week following budgetary cuts.

The cuts were announced in May, with the agency being told they would lose an estimated 1,868 staff, or 6.5 percent of its workforce, the RIOTACT reported on May 16.

This will see the Services Australia have 26,692 employees, down from 28,560.

“This is due to the agency returning to more regular staffing levels now that pandemic-era work, and the temporary increase we were given to deliver crisis support in recent years, has concluded,” Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Skinner said.

According to the CPSU staff, a Services Australia update issued last week by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Jarrod Howard, noted that budget reductions would signify that non-operational staff would now be required to partake in operational work.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Services Australia for comment.

“The unfortunate reality is that Australians trying to access help from Services Australia can expect this situation to deteriorate if the Government fails to act,” Ms. Donnelly said.

Ms. Donnelly said that these issues have raised concerns among staff that the changes could have flow-on effects and lead to other important work being delayed or errors occurring.

“Services Australia should be doing everything in their power to retain the staff they currently have,” Ms. Donnelly said.

“This agency isn’t immune from the attraction and retention crisis currently plaguing the APS [Australian Public Service], so the idea that they are letting staff who are trained and experienced go, is simply absurd.”

Public Service Undergoing Massive Transformation

The call for more staff for Services Australia comes as the Albanese government has promised a massive reform of the Australian public service, with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher announcing in May the federal government had plans to spend over $22 million (US$14.6 million) on the revamp.

“The Albanese Labor government is making the necessary investments in the 2023-24 Budget to continue the job of rebuilding the service after ten years of neglect under the former Coalition government,” Ms. Gallagher said.

“The APS performs a critical role in our democratic system, it should be valued by the government and be focused on serving our citizens.”

According to the May 2023-24 Budget, the Albanese government plans to spend $10.9 million to establish an in-house public service consulting function, $8.4 million to build the capability of the APS to address service-wide challenges, and $3.4 million to support the Government’s commitment to achieve five percent First Nations employment by 2030.