Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

This is no reflection on the professional staff at call centres or those who support them in back offices; it is simply a reality of Public Service delivery today. We are dealing with the volatility of the global economy; we are dealing with some 150 changes in the social security system that have arisen from the improvements made by this government in the last budget; we are dealing with many more Australians who are on part pensions and have to report their income changes to the department; we are dealing with calls which are of a much higher level of complexity. We are also dealing with a situation where we have claims by the Liberal Party that they are going to take some 12,000 public servants out of the Commonwealth Public Service in the first two years of a Liberal government. Imagine what that is going to do to waiting times. Imagine what that is going to do to the capacity to respond to the legitimate needs of the Australian people during periods of considerable economic change. Average waiting times are about 12 minutes and we are concerned that that time is growing. But taking 12,000 people out won't improve it. (Time expired)