New data reveals that Gold Coast residents are facing extensive delays in processing times for a range of vital Centrelink payments, exacerbating the challenges posed by the cost of living crisis.

Documents obtained by the Opposition from Senate Estimates in February show concerning data on Gold Coast’s processing times for various payments. From 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023, it took Services Australia an average of:

• 3 days to process the Age Pension
• 7 days to process the Disability Support Pension
• 8 days to process the Low Income Card
• 1 days to process the Seniors Health Card
• 5 days to process the Additional Child Care Subsidy Transition to Work

Northern Gold Coast’s Federal Member for Fadden, Cameron Caldwell expressed deep concern over these prolonged delays, highlighting the significant impact on vulnerable members of the community.

“Our community needs these payments made fast and efficiently,” Mr Caldwell said.

“A young mother from our electorate contacted me after waiting almost six months for her Child Care Subsidy to be processed. During this time, she was fortunate that her daughter’s kindergarten held her debt, however it mounted up to over $6000 before she received an outcome.”

“In another instance, a new mother experienced an agonizing wait of more than nine weeks to access her Paid Parental Leave benefits. Despite reaching out to Centrelink for assistance, she was advised to refrain from seeking updates until at least the 11-week mark. That’s 11 weeks of financial strain, relying solely on one income source and 11 weeks of distress worrying about her ability to support her newborn.”

“The cost of living crisis has our most vulnerable Australians on the verge of breaking point. Waiting this long for such essential services just isn’t good enough.”

Shadow Minister for Government Services Paul Fletcher said these figures confirm what we’ve always believed – communities in every corner of Australia are being plagued by payment delays.

“The Coalition has been asking for this data for months and it’s clear why Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has been reluctant to offer it. It exposes his failures,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Bill Shorten can’t hide from these figures. No community is immune from Services Australia’s incompetence and it’s embarrassing.”