28 million Centrelink calls got an engaged signal
In data that’s sure to add fuel to the fire of Centrelink critics amid a year that hasn’t been short of scandal, new figures have revealed that 28 million calls to the beleaguered welfare agency were greeted with an ‘engaged’ signal in the last seven months.
The data was revealed by Department of Human Services (DHS) representatives who fronted the Senate estimates hearing on Thursday, fielding questions about the much-maligned debt collection scheme and a range of other controversies.
Between July 2016 and January 31, 2017, the DHS confirmed 28 million calls from clients were greeted with an ‘engaged’ signal, of which 4.1 million were eventually abandoned. The representatives also reported the average waiting time for a client to receive an answer to their query was 14 minutes and 10 seconds.
Among the revelations, DHS staff also admitted to the use of social media to track down and investigate the nature of various complaints about Centrelink.
DHS secretary Kathryn Campbell told the Senate estimates hearing, “We look at it about service delivery. My expectation is, in running the department, it's expected of us to look at those complaints to see whether they're true.”
Greens senator Rachel Siewert responded to the admission with a statement this morning, “It is deeply concerning that DHS staff have been trawling through social media to find people complaining about Centrelink to provide to the Minister.
"The department confirmed they keep an eye on traditional media but to trawl social media is a new development that raises strong concerns. This looks to me more about trying to discourage people from speaking out.”
What’s your view on Centrelink? Do you think the media has been too hard on the agency? Or has its performance simply not been up to scratch?
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