Government worker cut off vital support after Centrelink made “computer-generated error”
When her employer reduced her hours, Emily* applied for JobSeeker to help pay for medication and food. Centrelink blocked her calls, kept her waiting for months, then erroneously rejected her claim.
Last month, AUWU published a new petition, calling on the government to use emergency measures to fix Centrelink. One of the petition signatories, Emily, reached out to us, and agreed to the following interview. She hopes that sharing her story helps drive systemic change.
Can you let us know a little about your background, and what led you to apply for JobSeeker?
Currently, I work casually in administration at a government agency. Due to the pandemic, and the rising cost of living over the years, I have also worked casually in the hospitality, event, and warehouse industries in order to make ends meet. I have struggled with the health condition of chronic migraines and a work-acquired back injury (recovered now) which have both respectively impacted my work at times. The former requires me to rely on a non-PBS prescription.
Late last year, my agency informed all staff that reduced hours were coming up in March 2024, and a minimum of hours couldn’t be guaranteed going forwards. So with the knowledge that my shifts would no longer be frequent enough to continue to meet my rent and bills at minimum, I started applying for jobs in my field.
The government agency did not offer any support when communicating the upcoming job reduction due to the upcoming ‘low season’, beyond an invitation to apply for several internal permanent roles with management’s support. Multiple casual staff members, including me, did so in the hopes of gaining permanency but none of us even got an interview and the hires were all external. I made the decision to go back to study full time in 2024 to increase my skill set for the job market, and began applying for other casual jobs in the meantime. I applied for JobSeeker in November 2023 while waiting for my confirmation of enrolment from my university, with the intention of updating and switching to Austudy when it arrived as proof of study.
What happened when you decided to access Centrelink?
After applying in November, I didn’t hear anything about my JobSeeker application until February 2024 when I received a rejection of my claim. During those three months I applied for over 35 different jobs both in and out of my field. Only one of them offered me an interview, and the rest never contacted me, except to say I hadn’t got through to the interview stage.
I began to use my savings to buy food and pay my bills and financially things became hard, especially as I had no idea when I would receive help. I had to pay my bills first, so my ability to buy food was significantly reduced, and my non-PBS medication to control my migraines had to take a back seat. I had to reduce the amount of medication I could take to the absolute minimum, and I mostly ate 2 meals a day to save on food costs. The constant stress of waiting for so long without answers began to affect my overall wellbeing, and I was constantly very stressed and having difficulty sleeping.
I called Centrelink in January, when it had been just over a month since first applying to check on the progress of my claim as I had heard nothing from them. When I got through, I was told that there were “no issues, and [it] should be finalised by the end of the week”. But still nothing moved, and several weeks later I called again and was told the same thing.
Both times I called I found I could only attempt to call once or the phone would block me and say to try again later, so it took me several days to get through. I was always on hold for at least an hour before speaking to someone, and only ever managed to get through via the complaints line. This line had hours of 9am to 5pm, so I could only call on days I wasn’t working, due to the wait time being longer than my lunch break. In short, it was incredibly difficult to get through.
In early February, I received a rejection letter that said “your claim for JobSeeker Payment cannot be paid because you did not attend an appointment with your Employer Services Provider or agree to your Job Plan. You will need to make a new claim if you want to be paid JobSeeker Payment.” I was incredibly confused, as I had not been approved at all — my claim still stated ‘in progress’, and I had been given no Employer Services Provider. I had supplied all requested documents, and had been assured on at least 2 occasions by staff over the phone that my application looked fine and had been placed on priority for me. It took me three days before I could get through to Centrelink, just for them to tell me that the rejection letter was a computer error and they would resume my claim assessment.
(Emily’s rejection letter from Centrelink. Picture: supplied)
When I managed to get through to Centrelink to clarify what my rejection letter meant (it didn’t make sense to me), the worker who answered the call informed me that the rejection letter and its stated reason was a “computer-generated error”, and that my application had simply “timed out” and triggered the letter. She said I am eligible for the payment, and should not have received a rejection letter. I requested the application be reopened, and she confirmed it would be. I have since received confirmation that I would be receiving JobSeeker Payments, but have received no further explanation or communication as to why the mistake happened in the first place.
My experience applying for Centrelink was unpleasant, and it didn’t get easier once I was on a payment. 7 days after my approval letter, I was advised my payments would be suspended as I had missed a JobSeeker requirement. After calling the job provider, I was told that due to yet another “accident” in the system, I had not been notified of an appointment that had been made, but that the penalty of payment suspension would still be going ahead, despite it being their error and not mine. It took several attempts for me to get through to Workforce Australia to reschedule a meeting and ensure my payments wouldn’t be withheld. Again, I had to chase them up to fix a mistake that was theirs, with the penalty being suspension of my payments.
(The suspension notice that Workforce Australia sent to Emily. Picture: supplied)
It’s clear that the system has failed you in numerous ways. Why do you think all this happened?
I think that what has led to this situation is an increasing desire from the government to defund critical social services to a point of inaccessibility, so that individuals will be driven to the private market for solutions — and inevitably exploitation. Australia’s most vulnerable people are struggling right now, more so than ever after the pandemic. And instead of embracing social services that have the power to get people into jobs, into housing, and ensure they’re independent and successful, the government would rather look the other way and enjoy what cuts they can make to the budget. It’s a tactic to cut costs and look good to the bosses, but it is costing Australians their time, skills, and mental health. What makes it worse is that this crisis was predicted, and the bandage was to hire more staff and leave it at that. Australians deserve to have help. Right now they’re not being helped — they’re being held back by an outdated and underfunded system.
How do we fix Centrelink to ensure what happened to you doesn’t continue?
It won’t be easy to fix this broken system, but there are things that can change that will make a difference. The government could end mutual obligations, and stop outsourcing job providers to private companies; raise the rate of payment above the poverty line; reduce the level of documentation required for claims processes; overhaul the outsourced call centre management hierarchy to ensure quality and standard of work is provided at a consistent level; allow phone lines to be available for longer hours, and reduce barriers to claim approvals such as eligibility checks and assets tests.
My message to Minister Shorten is this: I am a worker for the people in this country too. I want to contribute and be valued. I did all the right things and applied for Centrelink in a legitimate way when unable to find paid work. Several days a week I was in an office doing important work for a government service. And the other days of the week the services that are supposed to be there to help you in crisis were blocking my calls and leaving me in the dark about critical support services I needed. The experience showed me just how little the government cares about those who are struggling, and I realised I am valuable as a citizen only when producing a product, not when asking for help. It’s profit over people, and has made me feel sorely abandoned by my government. We want to do the right thing — to be compensated fairly and to receive help when we need it. We’re exhausted, keeping up with a failing economy and a future where our work is never enough. The current system is dehumanising and cripplingly underfunded. Minister Shorten, you're not even giving us a chance.
*Emily’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
If you’re struggling on Centrelink, and would like to share your story, contact us: media@auwu.org.au