Human services minister, Alan Tudge, announces Serco subsidiary is to help operate Centrelink call centre

The public sector union has condemned moves to privatise Centrelink’s much-criticised call centre, saying it would give Serco access to vast amounts of personal information.

The human services minister, Alan Tudge, announced that a subsidiary of multinational Serco – Serco Citizen Services – would be contracted to help operate Centrelink’s call centre.

Tudge said the move would add 250 staff in a significant boost to the capacity of the call centre. Serco staff would supplement existing workers in the three year pilot program.

Tudge said the Serco workers would comply with all Commonwealth privacy and security requirements.

The announcement is designed to address significant delays with the call centre, a source of constant frustration for social security recipients.

“This partnership will assist Australians who are accessing Centrelink services, and help reduce call wait times,” Tudge said.

The department of human services recorded 42 million “busy signals” between July 2016 and June, according to evidence in Senate estimates.

Average wait times were roughly 28 minutes for the disability, sickness, and carers line, 30 minutes for employment services and 16 minutes for families and parenting. The wait time was worst for the “participation” phone line, at 38 minutes.

In the financial year prior, about 42% of the 68 million calls made to Centrelink were blocked. Another 7.12 million calls were abandoned.

The Community and Public Sector Union quickly criticised the Serco decision as an “absolute disaster”.

The union’s national secretary, Nadine Flood, said it was an attack on public servants, a threat to the integrity of private information and a privatisation that would downgrade the quality of a critical public service.

“We are seeking an urgent meeting with the department seeking more information on this dubious arrangement,” Flood said.

“Clearly this deal has been kept secret for some time if Serco is planning to be hooked into Centrelink’s systems in just a few weeks. Providing Serco with even the most basic access to client records would be giving the company a frightening amount of personal information.”

The government will spend $51.7m over three years to fund Serco’s involvement with the call centre. Tudge said no services or data would go offshore.

Serco is due to begin working in the call centre in coming weeks.

The announcement comes after renewed criticism this week of the government’s response to the “robo debt” scandal, which itself exposed a lack of capacity in Centrelink’s call centre.

The government again stated it had no intention of suspending the automated debt recovery system, which issued at least 20,000 inaccurate debts to Australia’s most vulnerable.

It did so in a formal response to a scathing Senate inquiry report. Labor and the Greens both described the government’s response to the report as an insult.

“The Turnbull government’s refusal to act on the recommendations of the Senate inquiry to overhaul the Online Compliance Intervention program is an insult to the thousands of decent Australians who were caught up in the conservatives robo-debt disaster,” shadow human services minister, Linda Burney, said in a statement.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/11/public-sector-union-conde...

It's pretty bloody appalling, isn't it. Serco!

They can diversify and march non compliant dole bludgers off to the gulags with their prison guard goons

John Smith wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 9:47pm:



Have you had a look into all they own? It's well terrifying.

I don't think this thread is about welfare , is it ?

The government cuts funding for staff in its own agency.

This leads to dismal performance by said agency.

Government than "fixes" staff failure of its own making by employing contractor.

Its just privatisation... And we all know that will save us money. Just look at your power bill

John Smith wrote on Oct 13^th, 2017 at 9:37am:


Got it in one - take two jelly beans.....


Downe at Ye Olde SERCO Calle Centre:-

"... you call has been placed in our queue and we can give no definite time for its acceptance..... do not hang up or you will be punished by withdrawal of canteen privileges and confinement to your barracks ... ....there is no guarantee that even if your call is accepted and approved, you will be given a response since government policy is now that no phone caller to Centrelink will be placed in a position of satisfaction in Australia... this is intended to stop the bloats of too many calls..... in the meantime please enjoy our elevator music of the British Beatles hits....."

Lets do the math.  For $51.7 million, divided to 250 staff over 3 years, would mean an average of around 68 to 69k per staff per year.   Assuming, the average call centre operator wage is around 47k in Australia --> according to payscales.com.  That means, we may an extra around 40% or so. 

Now, is the 250 staff going to be placed in the existing infrastructure - for example, same building, with more phones and desk.  Then I say, we are getting a rotten deal.   

If Serco is going to provide this additional infrastructure, then there is a separate deal on subsidizing in getting this infrastructure set up?  If so, what is the security and privacy requirement of those contractors. 

I just think its alot cheaper, if the government expand on existing infrastructure, and employ more people.  But of course, that goes against the goal of the liberal government to cut public service - to save, and to weaken union membership.  But really, we are spending a ton more, adding more to the deficit at public expense.

juliar wrote on Oct 13^th, 2017 at 12:48pm:


The majority of centrelink work deal with elderlies.  who are more politically attuned to the liberals.   Welfare is much smaller in proportion than aged pension.  Not to mention medicare have merged with centrelink as well.