Comment on Long Centrelink wait times as 11 million calls go unanswered
Auzy@beehaw.org 2 months agoHonestly, the majority of people I know on Centrelink CHOOSE to work minimal hours, but are fully capable of working full time… Or, simply choose not to work because they want a specific job
That doesn’t apply to everyone (I know tradies with silicosis now as an example who were CRAZY hard workers but can’t work). And I know people with genuine mental issues who need more help there
There is definitely a lot of abuse in the system as it stands unfortunately and making Centrelink less of an inconvenience doesn’t really make a lot of sense…
They’d be far better off spending that money on mental health funding, or Parks VIC (our parks at the moment are mainly supported by volunteers)
TinyBreak@aussie.zone 2 months ago
there is abuse of the NDIS too, but what do we do, stuff the NDIS participants and throw the baby out with the bathwater?
Needs to be managed a shit ton better, I agree. But we cant screw those who are vulnerable who are doing the right thing for “justice”.
Auzy@beehaw.org 2 months ago
Are we actually screwing people though, or simply inconveniencing them though? They can still get in contact… Just not as quickly.
That’s my point imho
WaterWaiver@aussie.zone 2 months ago
Screwing. 100% screwing.
An inconvenience is not being able to get someone on the phone in minutes or hours. Screwing is making someone spend days, weeks or months trying to get you on the phone and navigate a system that’s supposed to help them, not hurt them.
My dad isn’t at pension age yet and has been struggling the last few years whilst being a full time carer of my grandmother. It has often taken days to weeks of calling to get through and weeks to months get things approved.
You have this so backwards.
Centrelink saves lives. Support saves lives. Welfare saves lives.
If you don’t support people then they end up having to use the emergency services. Is it cheaper to support people before the need emergency services rather than after.
Auzy@beehaw.org 2 months ago
"Waiting times for calls to Services Australia have ballooned with average times on hold to Centrelink growing to just over half an hour. Not months… 30mins is definitely NOT screwing. 1 hr is NOT screwing. Screwing would be closer to 3hr+
I’d prefer instead of hiring more services Australia workers to save people using their hand free headset for 30mins (and doing other things), that they put more money towards public health (and that would help your grandma a lot more). Or hire more police. Or even better training for the suicide helplines.
In fact, instead of hiring another phone operator, you could even hire someone instead to provide free training to hundreds of Australians in industries with insufficient workers for each year, for the same cost. Hiring lots of new workers to reduce wait time by 20mins isn’t life changing… Providing free training to hundreds of people would be however.
Nurses and teachers are also overworked, so supplementing them with more people to reduce burnout is also super important. Parks VIC is understaffed too, and in practice, Friends of Parks is doing a lot of the work currently.
I know its not a popular opinion, but a 30minute wait time on a phone, is NOT a big deal, and it certainly isn’t life changing imho