Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to express my deep concerns regarding Services Australia's unacceptable and extensive delays with claims and processing times. This situation is progressively getting worse at a time when financial assistance for Australians is of the utmost priority. This cost-of-living crisis under the Albanese Labor government has hit hard, leaving many families in Durack struggling to make ends meet. Basic necessities, like simply putting food on the table, fuelling up the car and sending children to school, have become overwhelming challenges. Many Durack residents do not have the capacity or adequate communication services available to navigate this new world where services are now online, be they Medicare card applications, Centrelink payments or child support.

In Geraldton, which my electorate's largest population base, the Services Australia office previously had approximately 60 staff members. You could simply walk in and talk face to face with staff who were able to support you in applying for the assistance that you needed. Now, however, I understand they only have six team members. That's six staff members—staff who are overworked, whose hands are tied and who can provide only limited advice and often only a phone number to call for help. It's simply unacceptable.

My office has been inundated with calls, visits and emails from fed up Australians who are tired of being treated like second-rate citizens. They are tired of waiting for half a year for the help they require urgently. I heard recently from Phillip, a 75-year-old ex-farmer from the Wheatbelt region of Durack, who applied for the age pension in October and, five months later, is still waiting. My office has also been in contact with a 60-year-old cleaner from Northam who applied for the disability support pension and had to wait six months for assistance. A Centrelink staff member said to this Northam local: 'The delay in processing your claim is due to the lack of staff. Staff who've left Centrelink over the past year have simply not been replaced.'

Now, to be clear, I believe that Services Australia staff are working hard—the ones that still work for Services Australia's Centrelink office. They're doing the best they can to look after the needs of Durack constituents. The agency claims to have a benchmark of 49 days to complete a claim and issue funds to the claimant. However, my constituents are experiencing double, and sometimes triple, that amount of time, often waiting up to six months. Labor's disregard for my constituents is incredibly disappointing and frustrating. They must do better. It's time for action, not just words or promises.