Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank Senator Boyce for the question, particularly about the Redcliffe Peninsula. I know that, as she is a Queenslander senator, she has a particular interest in that area. I am very pleased to say that last week I had the opportunity to officially open a new first for the Department of Human Services, the new Margate Human Services service centre, with the newly elected member for Petrie, Luke Howarth. That centre will enable us to give the residents of the Redcliffe Peninsula unparalleled access to a great suite of digital products. As customers enter a new centre like Margate, we will ensure that they will have their own control over their interactions with the department, whether it is online options, phone self-service, the use of mobile app technology or being part of the myGov system. In fact, the range of apps from across the department have been downloaded more than 1.3 million times. At Margate, we actually have an app bar for the use of residents and constituents.

As of September, the self-service process accounted for just over 22 per cent of Centrelink's workload, which is an increase of over five per cent on the period in the year before. There is absolutely no doubt that customers are enthusiastically embracing our online services, and of course the Redcliffe constituents also have access to myGov. This is just the first of many digital offices yet to come, as we are able to update and open new offices across the country. They will provide better services for all Australians.

I think the most interesting of my observations on the day was when I was watching some of the older constituents in Mr Howarth's electorate being guided through the process of using the apps and the self-service screens and hearing them say, 'It's just like going to an ATM; I can do this,' and watching them make the most of the digital technology that the department has to offer.