Centrelink annual report 2003 – 04 Contact officer
ENABLE TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIRD PARTIES TO BE CARRIED OUT EFFECTIVELY
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- Indigenous Centrepay initiatives
- Rent Deduction Scheme
- National Service Improvement Project
- Electronic Employer Reporting
- Employer reporting for business services
ENABLE TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIRD PARTIES TO BE CARRIED OUT EFFECTIVELYCentrepayCentrepay was developed by Centrelink to enable customers to make deductions from their Centrelink payments, so they can better control their budget, meet their living expenses, and become more financially secure. Centrepay allows deductions to be made from a customer’s Centrelink payments and be paid directly to participating organisations to cover costs such as private rent, water and electricity costs, court fines, and household items. Over the years, the number of Centrepay options has extended to payment for services such as education, child care, home care, professional insurance, medical services and equipment, household goods, nutrition programs, travel and transport. In 2003–04, Centrepay continued to maintain and establish new relationships with businesses and community based organisations. There are now over 9879 service providers around the country making Centrepay available to their customers. As at 30 June 2004, there were 158 229 customers using Centrepay. Centrepay is a voluntary and free service for customers. Participating client organisations are charged a transaction fee for each deduction. Participating organisations consider Centrepay to be cost effective, as it assures them regular and reliable payments for their services. Community organisations support Centrepay as a useful budgeting and early intervention tool for Centrelink customers. Indigenous Centrepay initiativesDuring 2003–04, Centrelink developed a strategy to market Centrepay to the Indigenous servicing network, including Centrelink Agents, social welfare agencies, financial advisers, and other community support organisations. Public relations material was developed to assist Centrelink’s Centrepay Account Managers and Indigenous Services Units to encourage customers and organisations to use Centrepay. Centrelink also prepared a promotional video, showing how to use Centrepay for rent, education fees, prepayment of funeral expenses, and nutrition programs. Two versions of the video are available—one targeting customers, and the other targeting organisations. By ensuring a more secure income base, Centrepay has contributed significantly to Indigenous communities through increased revenue and subsequent increases in housing stock and maintenance programs. Centrepay also provides support for other Indigenous specific programs including child nutrition, health care, education, funeral benefits, substance abuse rehabilitation, banking, and family income management. Future directions for Centrepay include:
Rent Deduction SchemeThe Rent Deduction Scheme (RDS) allows Centrelink customers living in public housing to have their housing related payments such as rent, loans and arrears deducted from their Centrelink payments. The RDS is free for customers, however housing authorities pay transaction fees. The scheme is voluntary, and provides customers with an easy way to manage their government housing payments, and helps to prevent rental arrears, debts and evictions. All state and territory housing authorities use the RDS and the number of customers using this service continues to increase. In 2003–04, 260 000 customers used the scheme, an increase of 5.25 per cent on 247 024 customers in 2002–03.
Centrelink, along with representatives from the Australian, state, territory and local governments have developed the framework structure and agreed on the upper tiers of the framework. Collaboration principles and statements of intent to collaborate have received Online Council approval. As part of the project, Centrelink’s business products and services are being used in selected trials which aim to demonstrate how the framework will provide greater cross agency and cross jurisdictional collaboration to achieve improved services to citizens, business and other government agencies.
Electronic Employer Reporting provides some businesses with an alternative to the existing paper based arrangements. It also eases the administrative burden on employers; improves the verifi cation process; reduces the need for Centrelink to seek Confirmation from businesses through additional review procedures; reduces the requirement for customers to contact Centrelink; and provides greater accuracy of information reporting, thus reducing the possibility of overpayment. Centrelink is implementing electronic reporting for business so that it requires only minimal business information and technology capability—a desktop payroll system, and an Internet connection. When customers provide their consent, these arrangements allow businesses to electronically report the earnings of their employees who are also Centrelink customers. Over time, electronic reporting will be extended to businesses such as nursing homes and educational institutions and allow them to report relevant changes in customer circumstances to Centrelink online. Employer reporting for business servicesA ‘business service’ (also known as a supported employment service) employs people with disabilities. Business service workers are unlikely to enter competitive paid employment at or above award wages, and often need substantial and ongoing support to stay in their jobs. In a recent initiative, employer reporting for business services started to use Centrelink’s electronic reporting capability. The initiative allows business services to submit regular electronic reports to Centrelink on employees’ earnings. This recognises that many Disability Support Pension customers have high support needs and may find it difficult to meet their new reporting obligations under the Working Credit initiative. Since the introduction of Working Credit in September 2003, 95 business services have commenced reporting the earnings of their Disability Support Pension employees (approximately 7950 staff) to Centrelink each week or fortnight. Another 25 business services are currently going through the registration process, and many more have expressed interest in participating in this initiative. More than 10 000 business service employees have also signed consent forms. Feedback from participating business services and their employees has been very positive, and the success of this initiative is paving the way for an expansion of electronic information reporting to Centrelink by third parties.
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