Centrelink annual report 1999 – 2000 Contact officer
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Other AchievementsImproved Access to ServicesOne-to-one customer serviceCentrelink made further advances in 1999–2000 towards the implementation of one-to-one service where every customer has one main customer service officer to manage all business that cannot be completed by the customer over the phone. One-to-one service was implemented throughout the network by December 1999. Having established these arrangements Centrelink is well placed to move to the ‘life events’ approach, where the one-to-one customer service officer will focus on delivering the best mix of products and services to each customer, based on their individual needs and circumstances. In the National Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted in May 2000, 91 per cent of those customers who had experienced Centrelink’s one-to-one service were satisfied with the one-to-one service arrangement.
Social Security (Administration) Act 1999The Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 was implemented on 20 March 2000. As a result, social security law now comprises the Social Security Act 1991, the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, and the Social Security (International Agreements) Act 1999. The new legislation makes it easier for customers, or their nominee, to record their intention to claim for financial assistance and to be paid from an earlier date than might otherwise be the case. The wide ranging reforms had a significant impact on the Centrelink network including through:
Payment Cycles ProjectThe Payment Cycles arrangements announced in the 1997–98 Federal Budget were implemented very successfully by Centrelink in partnership with FaCS. Payments can now be paid on any week day chosen by the customer and are usually made fortnightly in arrears. Since 1 July 1999, all payments have been based on the number of days in the entitlement period. All affected customers were advised of the changes to their paydays and transition or adjusting payments were made to 1.3 million customers. Members of a couple had their fortnightly entitlement periods aligned to ensure that changes in circumstances affected both their payments in the same manner. Decisions on the dates of effect of changes have been automated to ensure greater accuracy and consistency when amending entitlements, thereby reducing the risk of overpayments occurring. The Urgent Payment Policy was reviewed taking into account the impact of Payment Cycles changes. The new policy resulted in a significant reduction in customer enquiries and aggression related to requests for early payments by Electronic Benefit Transfer card and manual cheque. The policy has been favourably received by community agencies who prefer that future payments do not need to be reduced to recover amounts issued early in the pay period. The policy takes account of the needs of customers who are in genuine hardship. Call CentresIn 1999–2000, Centrelink Call Centres showed unprecedented improvement in overall performance and customer service. Average speed of answer reduced from 177 seconds in 1998–99 to 70 seconds. Busy rates declined by nearly 60 per cent. Centrelink Call Centres answered 22.5 million customer calls, an increase of more than 2 million on 1998–99. During the course of the year, productivity increased by nearly 50 per cent. In this year, Centrelink Call Centres were benchmarked internally and externally against other Australian and international Call Centre organisations. Centrelink performed well and achieved many Best in Class performance indicators. Further improvements will be achieved with the Business Plan 2000–01 reflecting areas that require further attention. Improved call handling capacity resulted from a variety of factors. Firstly our recruitment practices have been fine tuned with higher retention rates of skilled staff. Resource planning and the employment of temporary staff to meet peak demand periods was very successful through both the Payment Cycles implementation and also the traditionally busy Christmas/New Year period. Online National Information pages were established to enable staff to source all Centrelink change information in real time, thereby enhancing customer service. The business hours of the Centrelink Call Family and Children line were extended from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in 1999–2000, in response to feedback from customers at Value Creation Workshops and via Centrelink’s internal processes. The lead-up to the implementation of the new tax system and the FAO provided challenges as it was the largest system based change conducted by Centrelink in recent times. The number of customers affected by this change led to unmet call demand through late June 2000 while customers enquired about the expected changes to their payments. Extensive contingency plans enabled Centrelink Call Centres to continually handle more than 100 000 calls per day through this busy period. An extra 400 staff (both permanent and temporary) were employed between March and August 2000 to meet this expected demand.
Centrelink will continue to improve Call Centre operations with the development of automated telephone based customer self service and Interactive Voice Response trials (see Chapter 8, Our Innovative Organisation, page 100). Centrelink has also established a number of additional Call Centre services: Indigenous Service LineThe Indigenous Service Line was implemented in March 2000 as an extension of the Palmerston Indigenous Call Centre, established in December 1998. It provides remote Indigenous customers with personalised service by Indigenous customer service officers located in Darwin and Cairns. Its implementation coincided with the CDEP changes (see Chapter 4, Our Client Partnerships, page 27). Job Search Training LineThe Job Search Training Line provides services to customers on Intensive Assistance and those requiring Job Search Training. A customised service is provided which ensures customers gain access within 15 seconds. All performance standards, contained in the Business Partnership Agreement with DEWRSB, were met. Additional Call Centre A new Call Centre was opened at Tweed Heads in March 2000. It is also a FAO site with approximately 80 customer service officers.
Indigenous Call CentreThe Kalgoorlie Indigenous Call Centre, comprising a team of six people, began taking calls in mid July 2000. The official launch will take place in September 2000 during National Aborigines’ and Islanders’ Day Observance Committee week. The catchment area for the KalgoorlieCall Centre will be remote Indigenous communities in Kalgoorlie, Geraldton and South Hedland. Rural Call CentresIn support of the Government’s commitment to increase services to rural customers to overcome the effects of distance and isolation, Centrelink opened the first of its Rural Call Centres in Maryborough, Queensland, in January 2000. A second Rural Call Centre will open in mid September 2000 in Port Augusta, South Australia. As a result, customers in rural areas of South Australia and Queensland will now have access to a tailored telephone service. As staff employed in these new Rural Call Centres are local, they are more familiar with the needs of our rural customers and specific rural issues. Consistent with the one-to-one service delivery approach, one operator handles all of a customer’s enquiries, rather than having specialist telephone queues for different payment types. Centrelink Multilingual CallCentrelink Multilingual Call Centre provides the full range of Call Centre services to customers in their own language and receives on average 20 000 calls each month. Services are provided in 19 languages. An additional nine languages are also supported via a call-back service. Customer Appointment SystemThe use of appointments to complement Centrelink’s one-to-one service initiative continues to receive a high level of customer approval. From October 1999 to June 2000, appointments on average were available within 2.6 working days of the customer’s request. In May 2000, 80 per cent of customers were satisfied with the appointment arrangements. Furthermore, 81 per cent of customers were satisfied with the time and date of their appointment. There has been a significant increase in satisfaction with the ease of making an appointment over the phone (up from 76 per cent to 79 per cent). Since September 1999, an electronic document is attached to each booked appointment, providing an accurate and permanent record of the appointment. This document facilitates a seamless service for the customer from the Call Centre to the Customer Service Centre. The appointment system is also able to record the types of services that particular staff can provide and when those staffs are available. Where a customer has been allocated to a one-to-one customer service officer, the appointment system displays the next available appointment with this officer. Customer Service CentresPreparation for the establishment of FAO from 1 July 2000 had a major impact on Centrelink Customer Service Centres, requiring a specifically tailored fitout involving changes to signage, image and colour schemes. The other main changes to Centrelink’s service delivery network during 1999–2000 included:
Olympic Jobs InitiativeThe Olympic Games provides a unique opportunity for job seekers to find work in Sydney in the lead up to the Games, and during the actual Games period. Centrelink’s ‘Helping you find work—Gateway 2000 Olympics Employment Strategy’ aims to help as many job seekers as possible find paid work in the greater Sydney area in the lead up to and during the Olympics. In this initiative, Centrelink is working closely with retail, hospitality and catering, transport and logistics and property services (such as security guards), as well as the Olympic Labour Network. This initiative goes beyond the Olympics—the Olympics represent an opportunity to gain skills and experience, but the focus is to assist people into long-term employment. Case Based Funding TrialIn partnership with FaCS, Centrelink has participated in a trial of case-based funding, a new way of funding disability employment services. Funding is based on a job seeker’s assessed need for assistance in finding and keeping a job. The assessment process involves the application of the Job Seeker Classification Instrument to 1999–2000 Annual Report 48 all participating job seekers. Together with disability factors incorporated through the use of the Work Ability Tables, this information is used to assign a funding band to individual job seekers. The trial commenced in November 1999 and ended on 30 June 2000. If evaluation results are positive, the trial will lead to a more efficient customer-focused system for funding employment assistance services for disabled customers. Child Care Crèches for Remote Indigenous CommunitiesJET Childcare Resource Workers and local community councils in a joint initiative with the Jobs, Education and Training program (JET) established crèches at five remote communities in the Northern Territory. JET funding has enabled training needs such as first Aid certificates to be met. Some of the centres have extended their hours to include out of school care, which has reduced vandalism and other inappropriate activities in the area. One site, at Bathurst Island, was awarded a one-off grant of $20 000 from the FaCS Childcare Program. This enabled the child care centre to extend their service to become a licensed full-time care facility, eligible for Commonwealth child care funding. Childcare Assistance and immunisationThe Government’s initiative to improve immunisation coverage of children by linking the payment of Childcare Assistance to immunisation status was successfully implemented during the year. In the months leading up to the cancellation action, many customers were contacted personally by Centrelink staff in an effort to maximise the compliance rates and minimise inconvenience for working families. The net effect of the campaign has been to increase immunization rates of children in child care above the national average. Improving Services to FamiliesWork progressed on a major initiative to improve customer satisfaction with our services for families. Strategies were put in place to:
Enclaves—Work Opportunities for People with DisabilitiesSeveral Customer Service Centres in Western Australia have initiated innovative projects to provide work opportunities to people with disabilities in their area. Working with local employment and training service providers, the Customer Service Centres have provided opportunities, predominantly to people with intellectual disabilities, to perform administrative work in cooperation with the Centrelink team. Trial programs have proven very successful, with several offices extending their participation on an ongoing basis. People participating in the programs earn a productivity wage and gain increased self-esteem, independence, and work experience and communication skills. Centrelink staffs receive valuable support in delivering service to customers, while breaking down attitudinal barriers towards people with disabilities and learning about accommodating disabilities in the workplace. Financial Information Service SeminarsCentrelink’s Financial Information Service (FIS) Seminars are specifically designed to inform people about how to make best use of their financial resources and about the benefits of financial planning for themselves and their families. The focus in 1999–2000 has been on younger people, with well over half the participants being aged under 55 years. A telephone booking service has been introduced to deal efficiently with demand and to provide customers with attendance options. Of the 90 000 people who attended seminars during the year, about 30 000 used the booking service. Review and AppealsBy placing the majority of its Authorised Review Officers (AROs) in Customer Service Centres, Centrelink has increased their accessibility to customers and provided a more personalised service to customers who request a review of a decision. This has also enabled AROs to provide more direct coaching assistance to original decision makers in making the correct decision on customers’entitlements, particularly where the customer’s circumstances and/or policy and legislation are complex. There were 36 043 requests for internal review in 1999–2000, which represents a decrease of 23.9 per cent over the number of 1998–99 requests. Nationally in 1999–2000, AROs finalised 36 732 reviews within a national average time of 26 days. The corresponding figures for 1998–99 were 46 362 reviews finalised in an average of 39 days. Improved Rural and Regional ServicingNational StrategySince the implementation of Centrelink’s National Rural and Regional Servicing Strategy in July 1998, Centrelink has been tailoring its services to the particular needs of small rural and regional communities, and has expanded its presence into over 170 new rural communities. Centrelink has also opened new Call Centres dedicated to the needs of Indigenous and rural customers (see Improved Access to Services: Call Centres, page 45). Centrelink has a strong focus on working together at the local level and in seeking the views of customers, community representatives and other private and government organisations in order to improve services and reduce the possibility of duplication of services. Centrelink has established partnerships with Federal, state and local governments and the private sector to improve access to Centrelink services for rural customers.
Making Use of TechnologyCentrelink has also implemented a range of technological solutions to improve services to rural and regional customers. These include:
(See also Chapter 8, Our Innovative Organisation, page 101–105.) Rural Transaction CentresThe Commonwealth Government committed up to $70 million (drawn from the Telstra Social Bonus package) over five years to help rural communities establish 200 Rural Transaction Centres (RTCs). RTCs provide access to basic private and government transaction services such as personal banking, some business banking, postal services, Medicare Easyclaim, and telephone and facsimile facilities. Rural communities with populations below 3000 are eligible for assistance to establish a RTC. Centrelink recognised the opportunities provided by RTCs in meeting its commitment to improve access for rural and regional customers and has supported this program since its establishment. When communities develop their business plans for a RTC, Centrelink is consistently one of the most popular services requested for their community. Centrelink is present in seven of the first 13 RTCs established, located in Eugowra, Urana (NSW), Welshpool (Vic), Port Broughton (SA) and Aramac, Crows Nest and Dirranbandi (Qld). Centrelink contracts the RTC as a Centrelink agent. The centre provides services for customers to obtain information and forms, make simple enquiries, access Centrelink through a dedicated telephone and facsimile machine, and use the Internetenabled PC to access information on employment and education opportunities.
Services for Veterans in Rural and Regional AustraliaCentrelink is working with DVA to provide services to the veteran community in rural and regional areas. Centrelink provides a Veterans’ Information Service in:
The Veterans’ Information Service enables veterans to make enquiries and receive information about a number of issues including:
Co-located within these Centrelink Customer Service Centres, the service offers separate waiting and contact areas for veterans, and is staffed by specialist information officers trained by DVA. In Cairns and Launceston, a DVA staff member is co-located in the Centrelink Customer Service Centre and the Centrelink staffs provide relief and backup. All sites have DVA-specific phone lines. In three sites in NSW (Dubbo, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie), DVA has extended the service to include a community development and advisory role. Community Advisors work with community organisations, including ex-service organisations and local health services, to identify the needs of veterans within the community and assist in developing programs to meet these needs. (See also Chapter 4, Our Client Partnerships, page 34.)
Indigenous EmploymentCentrelink staff worked together with DEWRSB and ATSIC on joint strategies and visits to Indigenous communities in regard to employment assistance. This led to an increase in registrations by job seekers linking to the Job Network and the issuing of Indigenous Wage Assistance Cards. Centrelink worked cooperatively with ATSIC and CDEP communities to introduce the CDEP Participant Supplement in March 2000. The payment also provides access to ‘add-ons’such as the Health Care Card and Rent Assistance. Centrelink has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with ATSIC designed to improve the administration of the relationship between Centrelink, CDEP communities and participants with regard to their income support responsibilities. (See also Chapter 4, Our Client Partnerships, page 27.)
Expansion of Centrelink services for Indigenous CustomersCentrelink’s expanded servicing capacity in remote areas included providing a number of agents and local Customer Service Centres with video conferencing facilities to allow customers in isolated Indigenous locations direct access to Centrelink for interviews and specialist advice. In Queensland, the Cloncurry and Doomadgee communities have agents assisting customers with income support enquiries as well as résumés and job search activities. These offices have video conferencing facilities with Internet access. Building PartnershipsIn addition to its partnership arrangements with client agencies, Centrelink has a wide range of partnerships with community organisations and other levels of government, including through RTCs the TIGERS project and WA Telecentres (see Chapter 8 Our Innovative Organisation, page 106). Our community partnerships typically start from very small beginnings, often through employee initiative and customer/community feedback. The partnerships all involve Centrelink’s core business activities and are often locationally specific with subsequent strong community ownership. Different community partnerships can take the form of referring customers to another organisation, making office space and facilities available, providing training, being involved on the board of a community organisation, getting involved in local fundraisers or working together to solve a problem affecting our mutual customers. A number of additional examples are outlined below. Home and Community Care partnershipCamberwell Customer Service Centre, Melbourne is involved in a community partnership with the local Home and Community Care Service (HACC) funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Departments of Health. This partnership has been established to identify customers who are not receiving home and community services but may be at high risk. Under the partnering arrangement, Centrelink contacts these customers to offer them a combined home visit by workers from Centrelink and HACC. The joint home visit provides customers with advice and information about Centrelink products and appropriate HACC support. Partnership with Tangentyere and WestpacCentrelink is involved in an innovative collaboration with Tangentyere Council and Westpac Bank in Alice Springs, working with Indigenous customers who do not access banking facilities. These customers are paid by cheque, which not only limits their opportunity to budget and manage their finances, but can lead to some exploitative practices in the cashing of cheques. The starting point for this project was the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research report on Improving Indigenous access to the delivery of banking and other financial services in Central Australia, July 1999, which came about through a joint initiative of ATSIC and Centrelink. Refugee Community Initiative Building LinksThe Refugee Community Initiative ‘Building Links’ combines the efforts of Shepparton Customer Service Centre and a large number of community and state government organisations, as well as the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. The aim of the initiative is to provide assistance to the community of mainly Iraqi refugees (currently around 200 families) who have moved into the rural townships in the Goulburn Valley from metropolitan centres. Centrelink has contributed to funding a consultant to work directly with the Iraqi community to undertake a more comprehensive needs assessment and to identify requirements for ongoing service provision and coordination in the areas of health, employment, financial and cultural needs. It is intended that the project will yield a regional settlement plan as well as a model for managing service provision to emerging refugee communities in rural areas. Gold Coast Seniors on the NetCentrelink has been working with a local group of older people who are using the Internet to network, exchange information and establish a ‘community of common interest’. Centrelink has been actively promoting its services, including FIS seminars, through this electronic network. Working with Customers and the CommunityCentrelink takes every opportunity to involve its community and business partners in the process of listening to customers to understand their needs. One way it does this is by joint participation in Value Creation Workshops, focus groups and reference groups, and community activities. Value Creation Workshops and Other WorkshopsCommunity PartnershipsDuring the year Centrelink conducted 12 Community Partnership Value Creation Workshops at different locations across Australia. The purpose of these workshops is to clarify the role Centrelink can play in establishing effective working relationships with community organisations with whom we have mutual customers. Some of the themes emerging from these workshops are:
Centrelink is continuing to work with the local community to identify actions both Centrelink and the community can take to strengthen their relationships. People with DisabilitiesCentrelink provides the gateway to employment assistance for people with disabilities. A series of Value Creation Workshops were conducted during the second half of 1999 on the provision of employment assistance for people with disabilities. The workshops were designed by National Support Office in partnership with Area Brisbane and the FaCS State office in Queensland. Two types of workshops were held: one with customers with disabilities who had sought assistance in seeking employment; and the other with disability employment service providers. Workshops were conducted in five locations nationally and involved staff from the national, state and local levels of both Centrelink and FaCS. Valuable feedback was obtained from participants about current policies, processes and levels of satisfaction with services. Strategies are being developed to address the issues raised by customers and disability employment service providers.
One-to-One ServiceOver the past 12 months, 11 Value Creation Workshops with a theme of ‘Individualising Service’have been conducted throughout Australia to gauge the success of one-to-one service. Of those customers that attended these workshops 71 per cent were satisfied or very satisfied with Centrelink’s service, 83 per cent rated the Centrelink staff from good to excellent and 82 per cent of customers rated staff as helpful or very helpful. Indigenous CustomersFourteen Value Creation Workshops for Indigenous customers were conducted throughout Australia’s urban, rural and remote areas in 1999–2000. These workshops were run by nine accredited Indigenous facilitators. The use of Indigenous facilitators proved beneficial in encouraging customer feedback during these workshops. Customers from Diverse Cultural and Linguistic BackgroundsFeedback is sought from customers from a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds through Value Creation Workshops conducted in customers’ languages. Over the past 12 months, a number of workshops were conducted in five languages, including Arabic, Greek and Vietnamese. The outcomes of these workshops reflected many of the values determined in standard workshops. Customers who do not have the usual access and feedback channels available because of their linguistic background have an opportunity to contribute to the development of service delivery change in their local Customer Service Centre. In addition to the familiar service values, customers in these workshops emphasised the importance of provision of services in a non-discriminatory manner. Customers indicated the need for staff to understand their cultural difference, while providing a more personalised service. New review strategy for Parenting Payment customersCentrelink and FaCS conducted a joint project to improve the out-dated review arrangements for Parenting Payment (Single) customers. Through a number of focus groups, customers provided valuable input into this project. As a result, the 12-weekly personal lodgement requirement was replaced with a targeted approach from 4 September 1999. The new review strategy aims to improve customer service by:
Consultative GroupsCentrelink Disability Customer Service Reference Group The Reference Group, which includes representation from peak disability, industry and community organisations, has now been in operation for three years and continues to provide feedback about quality of services and advice on the impact of new initiatives. The membership of the Reference Group has expanded in the past year. During 1999 the Reference Group worked on the following priority issues:
National Multicultural Reference GroupCentrelink has established a National Multicultural Reference Group to provide an opportunity for peak ethnic community groups to comment on both government policy and Centrelink’s delivery of related services. The group was formed following consultation with peak ethnic community agencies in June 1999. Meetings are held twice yearly with representatives of peak ethnic bodies from around Australia. The first meeting of the National Multicultural Reference Group was held from 30 November to 1 December 1999. Issues covered included future service delivery, services for refugees and tax reform. Multicultural Advisory CommitteesCentrelink continues to run State/Territory Multicultural Advisory Committees. The purpose of these consultative forums is to facilitate communication between Centrelink and state-based organizations that deal with migrants and refugees. Following discussion with peak ethnic leaders in June 1999 on community consultative arrangements, steps were taken to improve the consultation model. It was agreed that each State/Territory should adopt a model with the following criteria:
The majority of State/Territories have since implemented the above model. Relationship with Carers’ AssociationDuring 1999–2000, members of the Centrelink Carers Team were invited by the Carers’Association to participate in working groups relating to the communication needs of carers. Different groups target different aspects of communication—design and technology, content and development and cultural awareness. Members of the working groups represent peak bodies, government agencies, communication specialists, ethnic and Indigenous community workers and carers. Centrelink’s presence demonstrates a willingness to improve communication channels and provides an opportunity for Centrelink to promote financial assistance and other services. Community ActivitiesNational Carers’ WeekIn October 1999, Centrelink continued to promote the role of carers in the community through National Carers’ Week under the theme ‘Share the Care’. The week is designed to help raise community awareness of the thousands of people who care for children, relatives or friends who are frail aged or have a chronic illness or disability. Centrelink staff linked with local organisations such as Carers’ Associations to promote information resources, support networks and other services available for carers around Australia. International Day of People with a DisAbilityThe International Day of People with a DisAbility, 3 December 1999, was a great success. The National Information Communication Awareness Network was commissioned by FaCS and Centrelink to coordinate activities at a national level. Meanwhile, the Centrelink network hosted and participated in local events to celebrate the day and strengthen community partnerships. Centrelink staff demonstrated strong commitment to the day. Their innovative ideas, including newspaper supplements about disability issues , shopping centre displays and ‘adopting’ a disability for the day, increased community participation and interest. The positive feedback received has encouraged Centrelink people to build on these successes, with planning for 2000–01 underway. International Day of Older PersonsOn the International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 1999, around 40 Centrelink offices in all States conducted special celebrations. These celebrations included office open days, financial seminars, and morning and afternoon teas for older customers and local representatives of seniors’ organisations. The financial seminars in particular were very successful. A theme for the day was ‘Banking for Seniors’, involving FIS officers and representatives of the banking industry in discussing deeming accounts, fees and charges and self service banking technology. In addition four offices hosted a demonstration of the Older Persons and Banking Technology Project, developed by Health and the Australian Bankers’ Association (ABA), which provided retirees with information about, and an opportunity to use ATM and EFTPOS devices. A special flyer on how customers can reduce bank fees and charges was developed for the day in conjunction with ABA and FaCS, which continues to be an extremely popular product for our customers. Involvement in seniors’ and Investment ExposCentrelink has been represented at a number of seniors, Money and Investment Expos in all States. The presence of FIS officers at these events has allowed us to provide information to many people who are still in the workforce, or approaching retirement, as well as to pensioners and self-funded retirees. Youth WeekDuring Youth Week, 2–8 April 2000, a number of successful promotional activities were undertaken. One major activity was the Centrelink Art Competition. In addition, each Area undertook activities, for example:
Centrelink Involvement in the Youth RoundtableCentrelink provides an information and support role to Youth Roundtable members to assist them with their community action projects. The Youth Roundtable comprises 50 members aged between 15 and 25. Each Roundtable member undertakes a community action project to raise government and community awareness of the issues faced by young people today. Centrelink has assisted Youth Roundtable members with projects based around financial issues and the effects of drugs on young people. Improved Access to InformationStatement Style LettersCentrelink introduced statement style letters in mid 1999 to replace the vast majority of letters, which many customers found confusing and intimidating and often resulted in unnecessary contact with Centrelink. Research indicated that customers had a strong preference for simple and concise point-form letters, which could be easily referenced and understood. Research during 1999–2000 confirmed a marked preference for the new style letters with very high customer acceptance and satisfaction levels. Some customers (particularly age pensioners) with substantial sources of income or assets, and their financial advisers, have found that the new format does not provide enough information for their requirements. We are continuing to work on ways to improve the quality of our letters for this group and for our customers in general, and to provide more specific details on how a person’s entitlement has been calculated. Age Pension NewsIn September 1999, the circulation of Age Pension News was extended to include over 200 000 self-funded retirees who hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. In March 2000, Age Pension News was also extended to older Australians who have deferred claiming age pension under the Pension Bonus Scheme. Age Pension News is one of Australia’s largest circulation periodicals, going directly to over two million age and service pensioners and self-funded retirees four times a year. Its readership constitutes around 95 per cent of Australia’s seniors, or 12 per cent of the total population. It is also produced in 15 community languages with an audio edition available for customers with a visual impairment. Australian Pension NewsCentrelink International Services publishes Australian Pension Newsfor the 54 000 customers who live overseas. It is published in eight languages (English, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Macedonian, Serbian and Croatian) in April and October each year. In addition, recorded cassette versions are produced for visually-impaired customers. Each issue generates hundreds of letters complimenting Centrelink on helping people living overseas to keep in touch with changes to their income support arrangements and with related events in Australia. The newsletter also features general interest items which reinforce the Australian connection. Customers were particularly impressed with the article on the anniversary of the Snowy Mountain Scheme in the October 1999 edition. Rural NewsThis year Centrelink introduced Rural News, a quarterly magazine aimed at people living in rural and regional Australia. Rural News is the primary publication used by Centrelink to communicate with rural and regional communities. A key focus of the magazine is to provide up-to-date information about Centrelink and other government initiatives to rural people who may be unaware of what is available. The magazine provides information about Centrelink payments and services and how to access them, topical items of interest to these communities and improvements to service delivery to rural and remote areas. Rural News is mailed out direct to over 16 000 community, business and government organisations such as Centrelink agencies, rural counsellors, accountants and solicitors. Launch of UnzippedCentrelink has taken publications for young people into a new era with the launch of the Unzipped magazine. The magazine was designed for young school leavers as part of a comprehensive communication strategy that promotes Centrelink as a major provider of services for young people. The magazine is written in plain English and provides information on studying, training, job seeking and personal support while providing a mix of text, colour photos and cartoon graphics. Unzipped was modelled on other magazines read by the target age group. Unzipped was launched in Youth Week. The inaugural issue announced the National Centrelink Art Competition, which aims to evoke a higher level of appeal and interest among young people through the use of their art work and contributions in subsequent issues of Unzipped. Multilingual InformationCentrelink is one of the largest government providers of online multilingual information. The Centrelink web site currently has 29 fact sheets and 11 publications available in up to 42 different languages, which can be printed as required. Centrelink also produces a large range of printed brochures and pamphlets in up to 18 languages. These brochures are specially designed to provide clear and succinct information for easy translation. Fortnightly radio programs are broadcast in 24 languages across Australia on SBS and community radio stations. Efforts will be made in the next year to better target our diverse customer base. This will include coverage of newer arrival languages in future broadcasts and, where possible, increasing the overall number of languages broadcast. Regular editorial articles are also published in the national ethnic press in eight languages.
Language ServicesCentrelink maintains a panel of around 2000 contracted interpreters and translators to provide language services across its network to customers who cannot communicate in English. In the last 12 months, Centrelink received over 55 500 requests for interpreter and translating services. For 99 per cent of these requests, Centrelink provided an interpreter or translator within three working days of the request. The internal standard for this service is 85 per cent. Expansion of language capability at International ServicesCurrently Centrelink International Services has staff with language skills in Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian. There is a policy to employ staff with language skills, other than English, when needed and this has been a feature of recent recruitment. Centrelink International Services has a dedicated team (separate from the Multilingual Call Centre) to handle phone enquiries from Centrelink International Services customers in Australia and overseas. (Customers may reverse the charges through their local operator so they do not pay for the call.) A full-time Italian translator is employed and a network of other translators provides translations of customer letters, medical reports and other documents. To improve customer service, bilingual letters are sent to Centrelink International Services customers when explaining adverse decisions. Indigenous CD-ROMIn the next 12 months, Centrelink will develop an Indigenous version of the Rural CD-ROM, a tool designed to assist Centrelink agents in delivering quality services to rural and remote customers. The Indigenous CD-ROM will be specifically targetted at addressing the needs and issues of community agents. It is envisaged that the Indigenous CD-ROM will assist in meeting the particular cultural and literacy needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. (See also Chapter 8 Our Innovative Organisation, page 105.)
Helping customers through difficult transitionsCentrelink is developing a service delivery model based on ‘life events’ of people in the community, rather than the traditional ‘silos’ of government programs. This approach supports our mission to provide opportunities for individuals during transitional periods in their lives. We have taken steps in 1999–2000 to focus on customer needs at particular points in their lives to progress the implementation of Centrelink’s service delivery model. Preparing for Work InitiativeThe Preparing for Work initiative, introduced in November 1999, represents a dramatic change in the way Centrelink conducts its business with job seekers. The initiative integrates service delivery of social security payments and employment assistance, placing a strong emphasis upon work and social participation outcomes. This approach has resulted in more tailored employment service delivery with improved targeting of employment assistance. It has also made the job seeker more accountable for their job seeking efforts. The Preparing for Work Agreements initiative, introduced on 1 July 2000 enhances this initiative. The approach complements and reinforces other Centrelink initiatives such as one-to-one service and is a realisation of the concept of a ‘service offer’. Closure of BHP Steelworks, NewcastleWith the impending closure of the BHP Steelworks, Centrelink adopted some innovative approaches to customer service. Working in conjunction with BHP management, a temporary Centrelink site was opened in the grounds of the steelworks in August 1999. Office hours were those which best suited the many shift workers at BHP. Using remote accessing technology, Centrelink staff were able to process claims online. FIS seminars were conducted on site, interpreters were available to help customers complete claim forms and messages were put on employee payslips about Centrelink services. Over 2000 interviews were conducted. Assistance was also provided to the families of those affected by the closure of BHP. More Intensive and Flexible Services PilotThe More Intensive and Flexible Services Pilot (MIFS) was established in July 1996, by the then Department of Social Security. Administration was transferred to Centrelink in July 1998. The pilot provided secondary rehabilitation (including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and counselling) and pre-vocational training (including budgeting, travel, training, grooming, and self esteem) to customers in receipt of the Disability Support Pension. The pilot was completed on 30 June 2000. Approximately 2100 customers participated and many customers have been assisted in improving their work ability. The information gathered from the pilot will be used by FaCS to inform the Welfare Reform agenda. Annual Jobs Education and Training New interview TargetFor the first time, Centrelink exceeded the national target of 55 000 new JET interviews by over 16 per cent. The JET program provides assistance for single parents in transition from the caring role to financial independence. JET continues to be a highly sought after program and throughout the year an emphasis was placed on improving and defining program outcomes. Social Worker Provision of Crisis ServicesThere is increasing awareness of the need for Social Workers to provide more intensive assistance to some customers at risk of longer term social exclusion. Examples of this are young people without parental support identified as being ‘at risk’, and customers at risk of suicide and family breakdown. An example of the work being done to assist families in crisis is the Family Crisis Childcare pilot project currently being conducted in Townsville. This pilot project entails the provision of an intensive case management service by a Centrelink Social Worker. The pilot is funded by FaCS and aims to explore how child care, in tandem with other support services, can achieve better outcomes for partnered and single young parents (aged between 15 and 25). The results of this pilot to date are encouraging. In their work with young people Social Workers focus increasingly on assisting them to re-engage with their family, find stable accommodation and return to education or employment. Centrelink also takes part in actions under the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, which has as its initial step the provision of advanced training in suicide prevention to Centrelink Social Workers and occupational psychologists. Disaster Response and RecoveryCentrelink is one of a number of agencies committed to responding to the needs of people and communities devastated by natural disasters. A national strategy has been developed to ensure that, in the event of a disaster, Centrelink continues to provide its normal services to the community as well as additional assistance to those people who have been most affected by the disaster. This additional assistance can take the form of payments such as Special Benefit, Crisis Payment, or Disaster Relief Payment, or counselling services such as providing Social Worker assistance to local community recovery agencies. During 1999–2000, Centrelink provided financial and counselling assistance to a number of communities that had been affected by several natural disasters, for example:
East Timor and Solomon Islands AssistanceCentrelink was involved in providing financial and welfare assistance to Australian citizens evacuated from East Timor (September 1999) and the Solomon Islands (June 2000) due to civil unrest. Centrelink was part of the joint State and Commonwealth Government Emergency Reception Teams that were set up to receive evacuees as they arrived in Australia and was active in attending to numerous requests for financial and welfare support as well as providing ad hoc assistance to the various community welfare organisations. Directory: sites -> default -> files -> documents documents -> North Mankato Taylor Library documents -> In the Red and Brown Water documents -> - documents -> Cbp and Trade Automated Interface Requirements Appendix: pga december 22, 2015 documents -> Ace abi catair customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements documents -> Ace abi catair customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements documents -> Mobile audio/video recording systems documents -> The south australian government gazette documents -> All public acts appearing in this gazette are to be considered official, and obeyed as such documents -> Union interparlementaire inter-parliamentary union Download 0.83 Mb. Share with your friends:
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