A day in the life - battling with bureaucracy

Today was a combined effort, with some success but much angst and frustration. David manned the home phone to set about finding out again WTF was going on with the NSW birth certificate. First effort wasn't good, simply a message saying the phones were suffering "high volume" and to leave your phone number to ring back sometime later today. 

I offered to go to the Post Office and see if it was there, and went before the trip to BGF. It didn't go well. I get there soon after 9am and the shop is empty except for two people behind the counter chatting and smiling. I go in and wait for the conversation to end, which it didn't so I just walked up to the old bloke behind the counter. I briefly explain I'm checking to see if a registered letter is there from Births Deaths and Marriages for David. David had given me his ID with a signed note that it was OK for me to pick it up if it was there.

The bloke behind the counter was entirely belligerent, condescending, and patronising. I could tell he was an old bitter queen even before he opened his mouth. It went something like this:

Him: Did you ring Births Deaths and Marriages?
Me: Yes. We couldn't get through.
Him: I'm sure if you rung now you could get through.
Me: no, we've been ringing.
Him: I'm sure if I rang right now I'd get through. People have to help themselves.
Me: Excuse me, don't patronise me. 

He goes out the back for a bit and comes back saying the letter's not there. 

Me: OK. Well there's another question I'd like to ask. Births Deaths and Marriages said they sent a letter out two weeks ago, why did you send it back?
Him: We don't know if the address was wrong.
Me: Yes we do because we've been on the phone to Births Deaths and Marriages after the letter was sent back, double checking the address, which was all correct.
Him: You need to get the tracing number off the original letter for us to help you.
Me: How can I do that? You sent it back.
Him: I'll tell you what to do (and gets out bit of paper)
Me: Yes! Tell me what to do! (sarcastically)
Him: (starts writing on the paper whilst saying) Ring Births Deaths and Marriages.
Me: (looking directly into his eyes) What do you think I've been doing?
Him: (stares directly back into my eyes.... fuckin old queen....) I'm sorry I can't help you. Next.

Leaving me there at the counter while he looked to the next person. I contemplated just for a few seconds. I felt like jumping the counter and clobbering the bitch, but given my unhealthy police record I decided to take a breath and leave. Upon turning around there was now a large line forming, all full of shocked customers at what had just happened. I went home to collect myself before the trip to BGF, telling David about it. He even questioned if the fuckin Post Office bitch bothered even looking out the back for the letter.

So after that David remains home still trying to get through to Births Deaths and Marriages while I go to BGF, for the second time, to get help with the $570 electricity bill. I had printed out over 20 pages of proof that I was on my ass poor for every conceivable question that might be asked. I get there and go into a room to present the evidence for my deeming to be poor by BGF. It didn't go well at all.

Despite having all the possible evidence needed right there on the table, there was the (what I thought was a) minor concern over the outdated two lines on the Centrelink Statement of Income, 3 years old, saying that I still had the $60,000 of the redundancy that they made me live off and the money pulled out of my super to pay debts - a long convoluted struggle over 9 months with Canberra. Just two lines of three year old outdated shit from Centrelink was enough for BGF to say they couldn't do anything until this Centrelink Statement of Income was saying exactly the right stuff. Even though all the proof was there that it wasn't. Two lines on page two. They had even included deemed interest income as part of it. It was another brick wall.

I burst into tears. The BGF person and I were in a small room of our own. Through many tears I tried to give some idea of the financial trauma both David and I were undergoing even as we spoke. In exasperation, crying like mad, "What do you have to do to prove you're poor? It's one brick wall after another, while we both starve." I told about the Australia Post episode earlier and she couldn't believe it. Whatever the present paperwork said from Centrelink, it was obvious that we were in trouble. The ironic thing is that David tried to get help off them earlier in the year and ended up being faced with similar impossible hoops to jump through and just gave up, getting nothing, despite being completely eligible. 

WTF is going on with BGF? It's supposed to be there to help us when we're fucked, like David and I are now. Yet the demands are more than even Centrelink asks. You don't need two months of bank statement print outs for Centrelink, and Centrelink will readily accept proof when it's presented to them. This wasn't the case today with BGF. Two outdated lines on page two of a Centrelink document took precedence over my need, suffering extreme financial hardship they were unable to help me until this form was fixed. Black and white thinking indeed. Something the gay community doesn't appreciate.

Anyway, upshot of the BGF meeting, was me to see them Monday with the updated Centrelink form and then they'll be able to give me nearly half the money for the bill. It was obvious I was really upset and the plan now is to pay me the money straight away on Monday after I get there with the new Centrelink form. I agreed and will go there again for the third time over this on Monday. So I had to go to Centrelink to get this form updated for Monday. Left BGF feeling so upset.

Came home to report to David on the way to Centrelink. Left soon after and entered the Centrelink line. Actually it was hardly anyone, but that means nothing. The staff were still doing staggered lunch breaks, probably understaffed at that. I get seen by the really efficient looking person whilst still in the line, asking me what I'm here for. I have to see somebody at the desks behind. I sit and wait for about an hour to get seen.

It was just so easy once I was at a desk with a bloody human being. I quickly explained the situation and needed the Centrelink Income Statement updated. I simply gave the lady the first pages of two of the mega print outs that I'd prepared for BGF, those mega print outs not considered as enough proof at BGF in themselves. Well it was way too much proof for Centrelink. In fact the lady simply viewed the first pages of each of the mega print outs and didn't even want to photocopy them. 

She printed out the Centrelink Income Statement form, all up to date. Still a little bit out over an old St George account that they reckon I have $1,000 in. WTF? I closed that account years ago. How do I get proof there's nothing in there when I don't even have an account with them anymore? It's not much though and the amount won't have any impact on anything. So I'd gotten the magic Centrelink papers. Perhaps this will open up a whole new BGF world?

Left Centrelink feeling emotionally and mentally exhausted and defeated. This was one of the most horrible days I've ever had trying to get things done with bureaucracy. I'm not capable of dealing with this both mentally and emotionally. I feel like they're stretching me to the limit, see if I break, then they'll know I'm for real. That's just how I feel after today.

I feel for those too that can't jump these hoops. How much poverty exists in Australia simply because there's too many demands put on anyone who gets welfare? The restrictions are too great. People just give up and wear poverty because they can't meet the criteria. I mean FFS, two out of date lines on a Centrelink form nearly saw me denied any financial help from an HIV organisation set up specifically to help HIV people in distress.

I reached a very low point when I burst into tears at BGF today. Felt like there was all this supposed help out there that even me in my dire situation couldn't access, because of bureaucratic forms. I'd just had enough. The very people that are supposed to be there to help me weren't, and were in fact the one's that drove me to tears of hopelessness. 

BTW, David's birth certificate still didn't arrive today. I dunno even WTF is going on with that today, other than David finally got through and found out this: On ringing Births Deaths and Marriages, you have to go through a new Barry O'fuckin Farrell main thing that deals with the whole entire NSW gov. Looks efficient I guess until you have to deal with the bloody crap. 

So when David rings through to the BDM's line, it actually goes to this main gov line and the dept filtered down through that. In effect, all David's phone calls today accomplished nothing more than the main gov dept saying it hadn't heard anything from the other gov dept yet; namely Births Deaths and marriages.