Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question goes to the issue of call wait times, the amount of time that people are waiting and the significant increases that have occurred for people using Centrelink telephone services. I acknowledge that the previous government and this government have continued to improve the apps and people's ability to report or seek information through online services. However, in my part of the world in Bendigo we have lots of people who still do not have access to decent fast speed broadband. They do not have the connectivity to be able to use the online services. I hope, in answering these questions, the minister does not go to 'just connect to the internet'. A lot of people who still use the telephone services are older people that may not have either the skills or the capability. They may not have internet access. In one area in my electorate, Heathcote, 30 per cent of households do not have the internet. These are people who, when they are seeking support, use the Centrelink telephone services.

Recently the Australian National Audit Office released a report into this specific issue. I am sure that many members have had the same complaints raised with them from local constituents—example after example of people saying that they have been stuck on the phone trying to get access through to Centrelink with wait times of up to 60 to 70 minutes in peak demand time. This is not new. This comes up all the time when you are out in the electorate talking to people. These long waiting times have now been confirmed by this report released by the Australian National Audit Office:

Wait times for Centrelink telephone services have increased significantly in recent years from an average of 3 minutes and 5 seconds in 2010-11 to an average of 16 minutes and 53 seconds in 2013-14.

It notes that a key factor underlying these increases includes a reduction in the number of staff answering the phone. It is actually because staffing numbers have reduced. There have been job cuts, job losses and staffing numbers reduced for people answering the phones. The report found that there would need to be a 33 per cent increase in staffing levels of call centre staff, or 1,000 new full-time jobs, to get the call times back down to five minutes—not even getting back to what it was in 2010-11 of three minutes and five seconds, on average. To get it back down to five minutes there would need to be a 33 per cent increase in call centre staff.

My questions to the minister are: is the government going to increase, like the report has said, the staffing numbers? Will the government commit to these 1,000 new jobs or increase the staffing levels in call centres by 33 per cent? In my own electorate of Bendigo we have one of these smart centres. These are good, local jobs that not only will help—

Ms Claydon interjecting—

The member for Newcastle says that there is also one in Newcastle. These call centres tend to be in regional areas, so they are good, local jobs. We would welcome those local jobs. This is a chance for the minister to commit to creating more public sector jobs in the region, but more importantly, this is a chance for the minister to commit to all those people still relying on Centrelink call centre telephone services to get answered in an effective amount of time. Can the minister also answer the question around productivity? Has there been any work done to work out the productivity losses that we have when people are waiting on the phone for 60 to 70 minutes?

What are the productivity costs to the economy and to communities due to people losing so much of their time waiting for somebody to pick up the phone?

My questions to the minister are: will you commit to the 33 per cent increase in call-centre staff, as outlined by this report? Will the minister commit that these jobs will go to regional areas? Will the minister commit to making sure there is good-quality training for these people so they have the skills they require? These services are still vital for many older people and those who do not have access to the internet. Yes, a lot of our lives are online now, but people still rely on these Centrelink telephone services to enable them to communicate and get information and do the basics to ensure they get service from Centrelink.

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