Key Points
- Many Centrelink recipients are unable to receive phone assistance after an automated system hangs up automatically.
- Some are unable to access a local branch for assistance due to disability, while others are being turned away.
- Services Australia is experiencing a surge of calls and has urged people to keep trying their phone lines.
"We know you've been trying to reach us," the robot said.
"However, we are experiencing a high volume of calls at the moment and are unable to take your call. We apologise for the inconvenience.
"Thank you for calling. Goodbye."
Then, the line went dead.
This was Centrelink's automated message that 24-year-old Emma-Lee Capone heard around 15 times during her desperate attempt to speak with a customer service officer.
It took two days, several attempts, a 40-minute queue, and a panic attack for Emma-Lee to manage to ask a real Centrelink worker why her mutual obligations exemption was due to expire sooner than initially stated in a letter she received.
"When I got the letter, I had a panic attack. I was crying. I was really, really stressed," she said.
"And then, not getting through to Centrelink so that I could clarify what was going on, definitely exacerbated my mental health conditions," she said.
For Emma-Lee, she said making her way to her local branch isn't a simple task, as she lives with severe chronic pain, as well as autism and ADHD.
She's not alone. Scores of Australians have expressed their outrage after trying to ring Centrelink's phone lines and hitting a dead end.
Centrelink's phone maze
When a person calls Centrelink, they are first asked to recite their Centrelink reference number and to explain the purpose of their call in a few words.
SBS News has been told that, for callers who provide a vague explanation, the call will hang up after a general automatic message about accessing the online portal, myGov, to get additional information about their enquiry.
I am literally risking my life to get the most basic issues resolved.Leigh, JobSeeker recipient
Callers told SBS News that, other times, they will be directed to an operator. If the queue is clogged, an apology is issued again and the phone automatically hangs up.
If a person calls again from the same phone number, Centrelink's intelligence system will identify them as a repeat-caller, acknowledge their attempts at contacting again and hang up once more.
Leigh, a JobSeeker recipient, tried to speak with someone from Centrelink on the phone last Wednesday, with no luck.
Leigh, a 39-year-old JobSeeker recipient, said he had no choice but to travel to his local Centrelink branch to receive assistance. Source: Supplied
"At the check-in, I was asked if I made an appointment, as though I could ring them and make one," he said. "When I had no appointment, I was directed to use their own phones to call them."
"I am literally risking my life to get the most basic issues resolved because they refuse to have a phone queue now," Leigh said.
Since this report, Services Australia has issued Emma-Lee with a formal apology and is investigating her matter.
Services Australia buckling under demand
Several Centrelink recipients told SBS News they experienced automatic phone disconnection in the past 12 months. Before this, callers were placed in queues or received a busy signal.
In a Senate hearing in 2017, it was revealed that 28 million people got a busy signal when trying to Centrelink between January and July of that year.
In 2020, Centrelink ended the practice of presenting busy signals in favour of a recorded message.
When asked by SBS News, Services Australia did not say how long average wait times were to get through to Centrelink.
"Wait times vary on a daily, weekly and monthly basis as we manage day-to-day business and respond to seasonal peaks and unexpected demand influxes, including emergency events," a spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said that Centrelink is "experiencing a surge in calls at the moment" but has assured that people experiencing vulnerability are "prioritised and bypass congestion messaging".
"We're sorry to hear people are having trouble reaching us."
Centrelink received 73 million phone calls during the 2021-22 financial year, up 16 million from the previous year.
"We encourage anyone who needs to speak with us to try again – people are getting through, and our staff are working hard to answer all calls."
Services Australia said it is continually employing staff to keep up with the customer demand, and has encouraged people to sign up for their .
Families bearing the brunt
For Rihannon, a 37-year-old mother of six, things took a turn for the worse when she said Centrelink suspended her parenting payment after overestimating her husband's income as a teacher.
Putting her out-of-pocket $600 a fortnight during the school holidays, while her husband's workplace failed to pay him during the break, Rihannon said her family was "scraping by".
"I called 17 times, did not get through a single time," she said.
"It basically comes down to being able to say to the kids, yes, you can go on a school excursion. Yes. We can buy you a new pair of shoes for school."
Rihannon said she and other parents have tried to attend their local branches, only to be sent away and told to keep trying the phone.
"It just makes you feel unimportant. It makes you feel like you're a second-class citizen."
The Services Australia spokesperson said: "Our staff always support people who attend our service centres. If staff are unable to answer specific questions, they can organise phone calls or book appointments with specialist staff, and refer people to other organisations for further support."
The spokesperson said Centrelink experiences seasonal peaks during this period as more parents return to work and need assistance for childcare.
"We’re working to improve the experience of those who call us, for example using data to analyse why people are calling and then addressing those pain points."
