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Comment on Long Centrelink wait times as 11 million calls go unanswered

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…

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”.

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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

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- WaterWaiver@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  or simply inconveniencing them though
  
  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.
  
  Whereas, there are so many services we have that are for ACTUAL emergencies, and require fast service, where the money would save lives.
  
  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.
  
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  - 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
    
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