If you’re already pissed at the wait times when you have to call Centrelink, you’re going to be super pissed when you find out how many people they just fired.
Next year the already pretty thinly stretched Centrelink is set to lose 810 staff and $80 million in funding, thanks to the recently announced budget.
Obviously the big tragedy here is the nearly 1000 people losing their jobs, but it’s also going to be a huge fuckin’ drag when you and a bazillion other people are trying to chase up with 10 call centre staff why none of you have been paid.
Last year 22 million calls went completely unanswered by Centrelink which is almost one call per man, woman and child in Australia – which I guess is almost an achievement in terms of its sheer scope.
On top of that, they have a massive backlog of unpaid claims which built up due to previous staff cuts and, according to an insider, some flash new software that apparently made everything a bunch slower.
Photo: Getty Images / Scott Barbour.
Source: SBS.
