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Breakdown of Centrelink Services

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lindsayf said:
I do some advocacy work for people trying to get on to CL payments. Guess that part of my work is going to get busier and more difficult , assuming the program doesnt get locked down. The CL model really has become one based on mindless delays due to bureaucracy. Only those with the patience of a rock can tolerate dealing with that system...imo designed deliberately that way to turn away a high % of eligible people. Now that embedded culture is going to cause untold grief to our community. It will take a radical culture change to get that system to be as responsive as it now needs to be......
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Indeed !! I have had to deal with Centrelink as well in the past couple of years. Truly hair raising.. Had excellent support from office staff but the documentation stuff ups, extended dribble and final results were scary.

And that was in good times and having some fairly good skills at negotiating with people.

There will be serious, serious grief /outrage if these systems aren't massively improved ASAP.:2twocents
 
In a totally unbelievable contrast, a while ago I thought I would try to find out what, if any, entitlements I had to a part British pension. When I left the UK in 1984 I had 11 years of NHS payments under my belt. Which, at the time, was a requirement. I got the number and rang one evening approx 7pm our time. Phone was answered after three rings by a very polite fellow who explained that I needed to ring a different number which he gave me. I rang this number which, again was answered after three rings and another very polite guy called Brian asked me if I had my NHS number to hand. I told him what it was and within a couple of seconds he said "Yes I got you" He then asked my current Australian address. He then simply said "It's in the mail" Approx six weeks later it duly arrived. The whole thing wouldn't have taken seven minutes from start to finish.
 
frugal.rock said:
Cheers Matty.

Just spent over an hour on My Gov/ Centrelink site.
Wow, it's really fast at 4am.
Got nowhere real quick!
So, they want to know everything they already know...
After an hour, got to the end of the process.
They want documents now. Fairy nuff you might think.
They want;
Proof I'm still married.
My saying so isn't enough, the wife has to log on and say, "I do"... and they want the marriage certificate because they lost their copy...
They want birth certificates for the kids, because they lost their copy....
They want bank statements.
They want a profit and loss statement for the last 3 months...
(sole trader)
They want evidence of the loan that we bought shares with, redrawn from home loan a year ago...
There's more, can't remember.
Tried using the digital or virtual assistant...
at one stage, I typed, "are you dumb", it replied "please keep it respectful"
Really!
A dumb AI bot wanting respect?
That's what it has come to.

The bots name is Oliver... it's position is Customer Service Assistant with a picture of Oliver? a real human.
I got a bunch of screen grabs, will put them together later, for a laugh...

I think I would stand a better chance if the house had burnt down with the 17 page document.
Oh wait, they haven't given a cent to anyone who had their home raised either... REALLY?!

Kid's, it's busking time again...

F.Rock
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What was it Australia's nastiest PM said, "Life wasn't meant to be easy", he should have added unless you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, like him.
Just my opinion.
 
I dealt with CentreLink from 2001 (dot com crash) to 2005. On and off as I bounce around from casual job to another. My little business started to grow and I just quit CentreLink because I couldn’t stand it. That was a gamble but it paid off.

Now my business is at a stand still. Looks like I will have to go back. All those negative emotions - I am starting to remember.
 
I remember being called into CentreLink for an interview. They thought that I was recently released from Gaol/jail! Another example of how they get their admin messed up - called in the wrong person.

Those of us will have to face these situations again.
 
I have worked generally full time since I was 16, now 45, after the old goat gave me an ultimatum, stay at school or move out.
His eviction notice gave me 4 weeks as I chose to start working full time.
Over this time, I had to rely on DSS, CES, Centrelink, ie, social security for around 2~3 years altogether.
The last was when we had our second daughter.
I chose to leave work shortly after bub got a high fever at 2 weeks old with 5 days hospitalisation with mum, and then a fortnight later or so, a phone call from the district nurse telling me that bub was failing to thrive.
Mum was being stubborn and trying to breast feed without following timing and other recommendations. I had to step in and get bottle feeding happening.
I didn't blame her as there was plenty of post natal depression because as we all know, breast is best...:p she simply didn't want to admit defeat.

I was entitled to be able to receive Centrescrimp payments from a year ago, I didn't apply, for the reasons below. @satanoperca has stated that men need to be men, and that thinking has been part of the ego from a young age.
In between jobs I would be a casual for removal companies (when younger), other times would find fallen trees on roadsides, block them up, split and sell as firewood.
Have done lawn mowing myself and helped a mate for free, who bought a lawn mowing franchise... he was single/ seperated, with 3 kids.
I cooked dinner for them on numerous occasions as I was single.

This all leads me to, the hoop jumping enforced by Centrelink, denigrates hard workers into depression.
If you are anything like me, and your forced by circumstances to lower your standards and try to apply for social security, the system just robs you of any shred of self dignity you had remaining.
Then you have some public servants, with chips on their shoulders, cancelling payments, incorrectly and purely out of retaliation.
I can remember hoping to get one of the normal staff on appointments so that things could proceed as expected....
I don't consider social security a right, despite legislation. It's a privilege.
The only silver spoons I have ever seen @sptrawler are at weddings (not my own) and others houses.
I grew up in an area of class extremes. We were battlers, but I had some friends such as Grace Brothers heir and Ingham chicken heirs etc, and then others who lived in housing commission with their Nan or some other relative.

I am sore, tired, depressed.:(

F.Rock
 
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