Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Payne. Can the minister outline to the Senate her department's approach to improving service delivery for DHS clients by outsourcing records management?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator very much for his question. It is very helpful to have his interest in the issues of the Department of Human Services in the chamber. What I would really like to do this afternoon is to set the record straight on this particular matter given what are disappointing and, frankly, completely irresponsible misrepresentations of the facts by those opposite.

In general, records management is changing with technology. That is hardly a revelation. Since July 2012, the department has kept all its new Centrelink records electronically. The number of paper files that we have and the workload that goes with that have decreased significantly. Because the need for traditional records management facilities in the department has been reducing we have been reviewing the way we manage our records. For example, if a lease comes up for renewal—and call me crazy!—the records management properties area in the department quite rightly considers the sustainability of that site. In some cases we have got record management centres which are merged—

Senator Cameron interjecting—

with others or are transferred to the department's outsourced records management service provider located in Australia, Iron Mountain Australia Privately Limited—

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, would you desist.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The management of all my department's records, whether they are outsourced or in-house, complies with the relevant policy requirements. Australians can be absolutely confident that their information is secure and that this is an effective and efficient way of doing business. The Australian public should expect no less than that efficiency and effectiveness.

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate whether this approach will result in any job losses in her department?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, it is important to put the mistruths which are being peddled to the sword, quite frankly. Contrary to that scaremongering, these changes will not result in any job losses for my department. I find, in fact, the protests of those opposite quite interesting, given that the outsourcing of record-management units for Medicare began in 2009—

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and of course it was expanded across Centrelink and Child Support—

Government senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my right!

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

in 2011. In fact, it was the Labor Party in government that began the consolidation of the record-management units.

Government senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my right!

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly they closed the Darwin office in 2011. Then they consolidated two units in Perth in 2012. So perhaps Senator Cameron could decide to check his facts. He has half-a-dozen former human services ministers to ask, including three in this chamber. (Time expired)

Senator Kim Carr interjecting—

Senator Cormann interjecting—

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, the great outsourcer!

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Cormann and Senator Fifield.

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I thank the minister for that excellent answer. Can the minister advise the Senate how these arrangements will improve her department's capacity to deliver services for all Australians?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think 'the great outsourcer' is an exceptional interjection, Senator Fifield! I can advise the Senator that, in a revolutionary way, of course, as we see the result of the evolving nature of records management, we are reviewing the sort of work that existing records management staff are doing. I know that that is totally out there! I know that that is not something that those opposite could possibly deal with, because it involves efficiency and effectiveness and good service delivery. So we have records-management staff who have to respond to an increasingly digital environment, and, unlike those opposite, it is actually important to me that my staff have meaningful and important roles to fulfil. That actually makes a difference to how they are able to do their job. It makes a difference to the job that they do. So we are consulting with staff. We are consulting with the CPSU to make sure that we have consistent and up-to-date job descriptions for records-management staff. It does not matter how many lies they tell opposite— (Time expired)