New figures reveal Australians in Flynn are waiting more than 45 minutes to speak with someone during the cost of living crisis.
New data disclosed by Services Australia show the welfare agency’s telephony performance has worsened dramatically since Labor took office. For example, Australians who call the Families and Parenting line have seen call wait times more than double under Labor.
Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce said the call wait times hurt local families.
“These wait times are a kick in the teeth to struggling residents who are just trying to make ends meet during this cost of living crisis,” Mr Boyce said.
“My office has been inundated with locals complaining about Services Australia under this Labor government, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
“I urge Flynn residents who have been impacted by any Centrelink or Medicare issues with Services Australia to get in touch, and my team will do everything we can to help you during this challenging period.”
Shadow Minister for Government Services Paul Fletcher said the data further demonstrates the inability of Government Services Minister Bill Shorten to improve performance at this critical agency.
“Due to a blowout in processing times for key claims, Australians need to speak with Centrelink more than ever, but they are being kept on hold for far too long,” Mr Fletcher said.
“Government Services Minister Bill Shorten boasts about hiring extra employees to address these challenges, but his record speaks for itself – he chose to reduce average staffing levels in the Budget from 28,560 to 26,692.”
The table below compares call wait times for different financial years. The average speed-to-answer figures are published as minutes and seconds and is the average time it takes for a call waiting in the queue to be answered by an agency staff member.
| Centrelink Line | Average speed to answer FY 2021-22 |
Average speed to answer FY 2022-23 |
Average speed to answer FTYD as at 31 December 2023 |
| Disabilities, sickness and carers | 20:59 | 32:22 | 48:31 |
| Employment Services | 24:55 | 34:08 | 48:03 |
| Families and Parenting | 24:45 | 34:37 | 52:46 |
| Older Australians | 21:30 | 31:52 | 46:41 |
According to the same data, from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023, 2,342,464 Australians chose to terminate their call with Services Australia rather than wait to speak with an agency staff member.
