90 Second Statement: Services Australia

Services Australia is a shambolic mess, a dysfunctional agency that prioritises itself over customers. As the Sydney Morning Herald has reported, Services Australia has a backlog of about 1.1 million unprocessed new claims across a range of payments. The number of Australians who have been forced to abandon their visit to a Services Australia centre is skyrocketing. For example, at the Parramatta centre 1,036 Australians abandoned their visit, up by more than 200 per cent. In Bendigo, the rate was up by almost five times. Australians are waiting longer to receive crucial welfare payments, with new figures showing processing times have blown out under this government.

According to documents tabled by Services Australia at the February Senate estimates, we know that people applying for the low-income card are now waiting five times longer compared to when the coalition was in government. We also that know Centrelink call wait times continue to skyrocket under the Albanese Labor government, with figures revealing Australians are often waiting more than 45 minutes to speak to somebody. Indeed, documents tabled during estimates reveal that the performance has gotten dramatically worse since Labor took office. Those who call the families and parenting line have seen call wait times more than double under Labor. Who's responsible for this mess? The member for Maribyrnong, who is doing, even by his own standards, a hopeless job. He must do better.