Another 1000 private contractors to answer Centrelink phones
Centrelink customers are being promised shorter wait times, with the federal government to hire an extra 1000 private contractors to answer calls from welfare recipients.
Human Services Minister Michael Keenan announced the plan on Monday, saying he was confident there would be "a very significant improvement" in service.
The additional workers, who must be based in Australia, will be hired for three years, with the contract to be put out to tender after a period of internal consultation with Centrelink staff.
"Our investment in these 1000 operators will greatly enhance our ability to answer more calls and ensure that the service we deliver is in line with customer expectations," Mr Keenan said.
Monday's announcement follows a pilot program in which the government last year engaged multinational company Serco to provide an extra 250 Centrelink call centre staff.
The Serco contract, which began in October, is costing the government $51.7 million over three years and does not include the 1000 new operators announced on Monday.
Mr Keenan said in the six months since the Serco workers began, they had answered more than 1.4 million calls and halved the number of busy signals customers received.
Lauding the Serco program as a success, Mr Keenan is again looking to the private sector, saying it "makes good business sense" for the government.
Centrelink call volumes are expected to decline over the next few years as the government rolls out the Welfare Payment Infrastructure Tranformation program, which will enable most claims to be lodged and processed online, with digital assistants available to answer questions.
Mr Keenan said no current Centrelink employees would lose their jobs as a result of the new initiative.
More to come.