Call wait times for people ringing Centrelink have dropped, while claims processing has sped up, data shows.

The Albanese government will on Monday release Services Australia quarterly performance data for the first time, which will be released frequently in a bid to build trust and accountability.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said extra funding for 3000 more staff and additional training had reduced the “backlog mountain down to a hill”.

“Getting on top of claims processing is vital to supporting Australians at their most vulnerable and through significant events in their life,” he said.

At the beginning of 2024, it took an average of 84 days to process the age pension, but that has dropped to 49 days.

JobSeeker payments were being settled in less than a week, down from 27 days.

Paid Parental Leave applications are being processed in three days, down from 31, the Family Tax Benefit Lump Sum is being handled in two days, and Disability Support Pension claims are being processed in 71 days, down from 109.

The amount of time it takes to process claims can be affected by delays in doctor’s reports.

Congestion messaging, where more calls are being received than what the network can handle, has plunged in 2024 from 4,385,399 to 929,824.

The average speed for an answer to a phone call for social security and welfare improved by almost eight minutes.

A number of Services Australia offices were undergoing safety upgrades, with about 12,000 assaults recorded against officers in a financial year.

These range from people throwing pens at employees, to a Centrelink worker in Melbourne being stabbed.

 

Tess Ikonomou
(Australian Associated Press)