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MEDIA RELEASE - REVEALED: THE COMMUNITIES WAITING THE LONGEST TO RECEIVE CENTRELINK PAYMENTS
PAUL FLETCHER MP
Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts
Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy
Manager of Opposition Business in the House
MEDIA RELEASE
20 March 2024
REVEALED: THE COMMUNITIES WAITING THE LONGEST TO RECEIVE CENTRELINK PAYMENTS
New data reveals how long Australians in different communities are waiting for a range of vital Centrelink payments to be processed, with long delays common across every corner of the country during a cost of living crisis.
Documents obtained by the Opposition from Senate Estimates in February shows that some Australians are waiting months for their claims to be processed, with the Albanese Labor Government offering few solutions.
For example, people in Longreach are waiting 105 days on average to receive the Age Pension, while those in Wollondilly are waiting on average 80.8 days to receive the Low Income Card.
Shadow Minister for Government Services Paul Fletcher said the sky-high delays across different local government areas paints a grim picture during a cost of living crisis.
“These figures confirm what we’ve always believed – communities in every corner of Australia are being plagued by payment delays,” Mr Fletcher said.
“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.
“The Coalition has been asking for this data for months and it’s clear why Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has been reluctant to offer it. It exposes his failures.
“Bill Shorten can’t hide from these figures. No community is immune from Services Australia’s incompetence and it’s embarrassing. Australians deserve better.
“I repeat my calls for there to be a root and branch review of Services Australia’s operations, to fix this mess and improve the agency’s performance.”
The below table shows the average days to process different Centrelink payments (by local government area) from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023.
Media contact: William Sparling | 0416 628 276 | [email protected]
