Welcome to the world of Centrelink run by the Lieberals. Where you wait for an hour at a time on the phone. Where staff cutbacks force you to do so. Where the internet site doesn't work. Where you can't get the simplest thing done because you simply can't get a hold of anyone there to do it.
Then to be told that the gov is increasing compliance measures to keep your payments that you rely on for survival, making it even more important for you to be able to get in contact with Centrelink over a range of issues promptly.
Yes folks, if you're payments get stopped and you can't get it sorted out promptly, then it's all your fault you see. You didn't comply. What are you doing bludging off the taxpayer anyway! Scum! Serves you right for being a bludger! Bla!
It was bad even before last year, fuck knows what it must be like now then. I remember getting cut off a while back over something stupid that the Centrelink plastic brain fucked up and it was only that I was looking online that I noticed my next payment was cancelled. Thankfully I was able to get it fixed up shortly after noticing it, and my next payment was reinstalled before the due date. After the due date and I was paid, a letter came from Centrelink telling me of the original cancellation; in other words if not for me noticing online I'd have had my payment not turn up in my account without being given the slightest reason why, until the letter arrived days after.
Honestly it's just not good enough. These are payments that people rely on to pay the rent and eat. To have them cancelled without warning over a computer glitch and not be told why until days after the payment is due is bloody pathetic. Are we supposed to fast during the interim? Are we supposed to tell the real estate agent that the rent is waiting in the Centrelink plastic brain as it's spat the dummy again? Are we supposed to say it's taken 3 days to get into contact with anyone from Centrelink?
The Senate has passed a motion calling on the government to urgently address telephone waiting times for Centrelink customers, after complaints skyrocketed by nearly 19% in one year.
The number of complaints against Centrelink jumped by 18.8% from the 2013-14 financial year to 2014-15. More than 11,500 complaints were made about telephone wait times or calls not being able to get through in the 2014-15 financial year alone.
Labor and the Greens on Wednesday joined forces to pass the motion calling for the government to “address Centrelink’s service delivery failures including telephone wait times, and provide appropriate support to the millions of Australians who rely on Centrelink and the Department of Human Services”.
The Greens senator Rachel Siewert, who co-sponsored the motion, said the number of complaints had increased due to cuts to Centrelink which resulted in fewer options for face-to-face services.
“More and more people are being pushed to phone and online services, as resources have been been cut from Centrelink,” Siewert told Guardian Australia.
She said users of Centrelink were becoming worried about tough talk by the government on compliance issues, leading to increased demand on support services. The Guardian
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