Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Pratt for her question. The service delivery reform program that we often speak about has to be more than just a PR slogan; it has to have real meaning for the improvement of lives of people who depend upon the work of departments like the Department of Human Services. Today I am very pleased to be able to announce a new deal that will help remake the telecommunications programs of the Department of Human Services for the 21st century. Over the next five years, Telstra will provide some $474 million in telecommunications to the Department of Human Services. This will allow for the merger of 20 current contracts into one, which will provide a much better deal for taxpayers. This is precisely the sort of benefit that the government envisaged when it brought together Centrelink, Medicare and the Child Support Agency. This is a major win for Australian battlers.

First, it will be a faster service. For the first time, voice, image and data services will be managed across a single data network. The new centralised scheduling system will help staff manage day-to-day demands more effectively. It will also allow callers to set the time that is available for call back services, which will mean less time waiting on hold.

Second, it will be cheaper. There will be secure and free access for Telstra mobile phones for callers in critical, Indigenous, income management, rural agent and Abstudy lines. This will be extended to all callers by 2015 as a result of the reforms that Senator Conroy has initiated. Third, it will be smarter, because the new arrangements will take advantage of next generation technology, including speech analysis and video conferencing. It will be a more modern network for the needs of a modern life. Fourth, it will be more reliable.