Centrelink Arvostelua 

I am trying to apply for Youth Allowance, and to do that I need to link Centrelink to mygov. That sounds like a very simple task - it's not!

All of the verification systems will not accept my Medicare card, and will not tell me why. Apparently I need a linking code, and I need to call them to get one, which is reasonable.
So I call them - get told they can't help me and get told to call another number. The other number is not helpful either. So I call a third number. He says my mygov account is 'transitioning from a child to an adult account' so that's why I can't use my current Medicare card (with my parent's names) to verify with the other (easier) methods. He says he can't give me a linking code, and that I'll have to go into a Centrelink Centre to get a linking code. He then tries to book me appointments to get one, but most are in the far future. So now I have to try my luck and hope that there is a cancelled appointment at a Centrelink Centre.

All of this s#%t to get a single combination of letters. Just to begin the process of applying for Youth Allowance. I don't understand why 'transitioning to an adult account' can't be automatic.

I'm being completely serious when I say I think all of this BS and inefficiency is intentional - as a means to wear down Australia's most vulnerable and to make sure they don't get the payments that are deserved.

I won't be surprised if it'll take months to get a single code - or even the Youth Allowance payment. It's so frustrating that I lock myself in my room and tell others not to talk to me when I'm subjected to dealing with this terrible service. I hope the people and politicians responsible for this inefficiency and disappointment are made to go through applying for Centrelink - so maybe they'll actually be compelled to not make it absolutely infuriating and terrible.

After wasting hours of my life on the phone to the ding-a-lings who call themselves customer service officers, I thought I would roll the dice and deal with my issue in person. Commandant Vicky greeted me with a frown and the question "How much do you owe us". Well, it is nice to meet you too. Where does Centrelink find these people? After five months of frustration, the issue remains unresolved, hidden behind an impenetrable wall of bureaucracy and bull shit.

Tried doing something as simple as make an appointment so that my elderly 80 year old father can go in to his local office and speak with someone about his current financial arrangements.
(This also means both my wife and I will need to be in attendance - thus taking time off work).

My father...as previously stated, is elderly and beginning to lose his facilities. Thus his ability to access certain information is becoming hard.
And yet EVERY number listed on Centrelink’s website goes around circles and is run by an automated service.
When I ask to speak with a human, it asks me for a CRN. When I provide that - it then asks for a pin (which my father either doesn't have or has forgotten exists).
When I say "I don't have one" the useless recording then says that I need one before I'm worthy of speaking with one of the godlike humans that hide beyond Centrelink's golden walls.

This system is deliberately designed to be harder for people for a variety of reasons.
However, when it comes to the elderly...you are pretty much forcing them to run out their remaining precious time, sitting for hours in a line because the services are so inept - that they cannot allow for any easy access to book an appointment.

While I agree that there are bad / lazy eggs out there - just wanting to cash in on taxpayer $$ and get an easy payday.... the solution is NOT making the wall higher and barrier to enter thicker.
Because when that is your answer, you are making it unnecessarily difficult for the elderly to climb over and the and disabled to walk through.
Especially, when all they need is something as simple as a bloody appointment!
It’s actually quite cruel, really.

Nah, this aint it Centrelink....

Someone's going to lose their life over a system as bad as this one day. I can only hope that 'when' that day comes, its not an honest employee just doing their job...or some poor Centrelink customer just trying to get by.

But regardless of 'who' they are...they will all be victim's of Centrelink's short-sightedness.

Michael was absolutely the best today. Patient , understanding, considered and determined to find an outcome to a complex disability/pension situation.
Well done and Thankyou ! The long waits were well worth the outcome.
Regrettably the usual post experience review was not offered on this occasion so here it is for all to see and celebrate!
Well done Michael ( Centrelink- 29.1.25 - PM )🎶✔️✔️🙏🏻

Just spend last couple of months getting everything together for my DSP application. Stressful experience with mental health problems. Went in to Centrelink to ask a question. She said I can hand in my paperwork and medical evidence while I was there. I said I still need reports from psychs which I get in a few days and my DES caseworker said to wait until I have everything and hand it all in together. Centrelink lady said nah hand in what you have now and you have until next week to get the rest of your medical stuff.
3 hours later Centrelink call and say my claim has been denied and I had no medical evidence with my paperwork. I tried to explain to the Indian with broken English I had medical reports with my claim but he said there is no evidence with my claim. So the lady at Centrelink lost my medical reports from psychs etc that are now just floating around the office for anyone to read. She also stuffed up until telling me to hand what I had in today. She completely f’d my application which has caused extreme mental anguish. Yet you can’t even call that office to complain. Centrelink need to get their shit together.

Ruth was a most efficient agent. She recognised my problems and got the right answers. Plus her manner was very pleasant. Things take time at Centrelink, but the appointment went smoothly and wasn't long before all was done.

to get this review started a couple weeks ago my points were disabled with good reason as my mother had passed away my job coach chloe was so understanding and considerate as too how i was feeling and now that my points and obligations are active again the mygov system is down and i get a message today the 07/01/25.I need 100 points today but the system is down.Why couldnt they send that message a week in advance?I take my obligations seriously and im always honest even chloe knows this as she is a kind and patient person they all are in the atwork australia mirrabooka.NOT HAPPY.What do i do now?

I am a 65 year old who has never used the services of Centrelink. All my life I have been working my butt off . I now require some assistance due to a seperation and not been able to work as I have worn out both knees and shoulders. I went to Centrelink in Hervey Bay to find out what services I might be entitled to. After waiting for over one hour I was told to check their website !!! Whow, what on earth are those people doing there if they are not willing to help on the counter ? After checking their website I thought that I need a degree in IT to navigate around. I then went to the Hervey Bay community centre and was in luck being able to speak to Judy who has 25 years experience with Centrelink claims department. What a great help she was ! However, after submitting all required paperwork it seemed all good but that was 4 weeks ago ! Ever since I get drip feeding ! 1 more form to fill out, done it, then again 1 more form to fill out and it kept going ! So I called and it was 55 minutes wait. Finally some young guy answered and I questioned the last form which I was supposed to fill out and submit. I had previously filled out and submitted a form and on this new requested form it says in Big letters that I do NOT need this requested form if I submitted the form I did !! No luck so I went back to Centrelink in Hervey Bay, got there at 7.30 and waited till they opened at 8.30. I showed them where it says I do not have to submit this form but was told I have too. I ask politely if I can do the rest of the form now as more than half way already filled out and if they can help me with the rest.
No was the answer !!!! I should go on their website !! Now this is absolutely unacceptable and this whole service needs to be replaced ! Why do Tax payers spend money on a non existent service ? I like to see that dope Albanese to put in a claim !!!
Doing nothing for Australia but surely managed to build a new road to his new property !!! I am absolutely discussed by what is going on in our Country !!!

Having dealt with this gov department for 11 months now am absolutely over it. My mother who I s 95 will be dead before any assistance astold to me by an employee!

Women. More women. All working part time. From home. Interstate. With absolutely no idea what the rules are.

They make it almost impossible to contact them and take forever to get back to you. It seems like their model is to wear you down so you give up trying trying to do deal with them. The worst organisation I’ve ever dealt with.

Never have I ever come across a more obtuse bunch of buffoons in all my decades. I hereby name them "the pokies" because you keep giving and giving and giving and you get nothing back.

After months of trying to arrange temporary assistance, they want yet more forms signed, but their own website doesn't support electronic signatures, so you have to print the form, sign it, then drive your vehicle to a Pokies office to hand it over to a customer service rep only to be told to go away, locate something else, and do it all over again. This, in the year 2024.

Ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching.

How is this even possible? The system is spectacularly flawed and designed to be so extraordinarily arduous that people just give up and cancel it all. In fact, after months of getting nowhere and deciding to cancel it before I actually did lose my mind, the cancellation online took less than 7 seconds. Read that again. No signature required. Just the click of a box. It was the only part of the process that actually worked.

Anything, literally anything at all would be easier than having to deal with this circus.

20/11/0/24 4pm... Rang them because I got a letter saying they have been trying to call, but not received any calls. I said that I haven't received any calls and that I had a quote number to give them. I have them the number and they hung up. Problem... If you don't call they will stop the pension. So now I have to go there because of the system.

Got seriously ill, spend a month in hospital having a major surgery. I was working casual before that. Desperately tried to get some support and it was denied until next year because they said I got money to survive, this is just insane. So if you're not a homeless or a junkie you probably will have problem to get something, we're just the stupid people who pay taxes, a lot. The second person who called me couldn't even speak English fluently..

I had to Phone Centrelink regarding a recent Rent Increase, Rent Assistance, and My Centrepay Deductions, as the figures quoted some weeks back did not quite add up.
Of course I was put on hold, but 15 Minutes of 'wait time' did not seem too excessive!
Spoke to Sarah, and within Minutes I was fully updated on my query. Sarah was very polite, and professional, and Her 'Phone Manner' was exceptional! Keep up the great Work Sarah/Centrelink!

I've never done anything wrong, I have always reported income before the due date, have attended all appointments, etc and still get penalised and told off when THEY are the ones being deceptive and lying.
My app and account said nothing due or no tasks required (such as reporting income) on Tuesday 22nd October and that my next payment is Thursday 24th (meaning my reporting date is scheduled for Wednesday 23rd. It hits 12.00 midnight and suprise suprise, I get the message saying report over due and it should have been submitted on Tuesday when it wasn't even available!!
The same thing happened when my provider didn't tell me when to attend an interview and the blamed me and my payment was suspended as it was today again due to no fault of my own!! I've complained and tried changing my providers and still nothing and I am always blamed.
I even have screenshots and proof.

Today at apprx 2 pm I listened to a phone interview by a centrelink employee for my grandson to apply for Youth Allowance the person conducting the interview and questions was impossible to understand because of her broad accent this employee should never have been allowed to conduct phone interviews use her for other admin duties she had to repeat her questioning MANY times totally frustrating and just hope the correct answers were given PLEASE PHONE INTERVIEW YOUR EMPLOYEES before giving them this phone interview position it made the whole experience most stressful for my grandson for his first ever application
Regards

Just found out via one of the big 4 banks
Centrelink Smart Card accounts, the "bank" that this uses is NOT in Australia

That is why it is incredibly difficult to transfer money in or out of

Australian Government running the lives of its inhabitants

Forced into apps and online portals that have hardly any features. Ai submitted paperwork to review a decision by centerlink months ago NO CALL NO LETTER NO WAY TO PROMP ONLINE AGENT CHAT OR CALL BACK.

I applied for a bulk recruitment round and made it through to the second phase of reference checks. To my surprise Service Australia have farmed out the recruitment process to Chandler Macleod to assess applications. They are using a process for reference checks called referoo where your referees are expected to complete a reference report and not the usual verbal report. I was surprised by this as my referee would be unwilling to go through this length process and I can't understand why Service Australia would go don't this road. It would be placing a lot of applicant in difficult situations..As a result I had to revoke my application even though I have over 10 years in the public service and was really looking forward to working with Services Australia. Hopefully they move away from this process in the future it seems very restrictive to me.