Post by Banker on Mar 28, 2012 14:08:37 GMT 7
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SHOCKED: Stephanie Nyein said her experience with the new systems at the Byron office was "demeaning". DIGBY HILDRETH
STAFF cuts and changes to procedures to boost "efficiencies" at Byron Bay's Centrelink office are proving anything but efficient for a proportion of its clients.
Staff at the office have been cut back to the bone to just three at any given time, while numbers at the Brunswick office have been increased.
In the meantime, the number of computers (or "self-service facilities") has increased in Byron, and more are planned, as part of a "refurbishment" mid-year.
But while the Department of Human Resources insists no one is disadvantaged by the changes, its clients' stories reflect another reality - of having to travel long distances for routine appointments, confusion, expense, time-wasting and offhand treatment.
The loss of personal interviews and poor communication are putting pressures on vulnerable people and costing them money in fares and unnecessary stress.
One man who said he had to "jump through hoops" before he received help is Garry Browning of Suffolk Park.
Until recently, Garry worked in the boning room at the Casino meatworks. When his son Adrian was forced to leave south-east Queensland after witnessing a violent crime, Garry left work to look after him. He chose to move to Byron because Adrian had an aunt here, and because Garry thought it was a safer environment for him.
Adrian, 17, has cerebral palsy, and while he is capable in most areas, he needs some extra help.
They secured a modest single room studio in Suffolk and Garry sought help through the Byron Centrelink on January 30.
So began a confusing and protracted process.
A staff member at the Byron office first told him it was just an information centre and that he could not speak to anyone. This was just one of "half a dozen" visits to Byron, during some of which he had to wait on to the phone for nearly an hour before he spoke to anyone.
In the following week he visited Lismore three times - spending what little he had on petrol and starting to get desperate to provide for his son.
Twelve days after his first contact he had a payment.
There was also confusion about Adrian's need to work. He had an appointment booked for the Ballina office for a job search, but was later told he didn't need to attend, as he wasn't required to look for work.
The change from face-to-face interviews is particularly difficult for some people - and clients report being repeatedly discouraged from seeking one. People seeking information or who want to report changes, such as in their income, are directed to one of the desktop computers or put on the phone.
The department claims the increase in computers is meeting demand but it is not replacing personalised service.
People wanting a "personal contact interview" can ask for it to be conducted in Byron Bay, said Lou Wilson, the department's region manager of participation programs for the Pacific Coast zone.
But staff were not forthcoming in giving this option said Cat Seddon, community services worker at the Byron Community Centre, who also said the people who needed such an interview were unlikely to know they could have one or were too intimidated to ask.
"The message people are getting is 'we don't do appointments here anymore," Cat said.
"And that they will need to travel to Brunswick Heads, Lismore or Ballina."
Stephanie Nyein is no shrinking violet but she was shocked by her treatment at the Byron office, which she called "demeaning".
Stephanie completed the Buttery program last year and was given three months respite by Centrelink to consolidate her rehabilitation and take on some voluntary work.
At about the three month mark, she was told she would need to make an appointment for a reassessment and a time was given at the Byron office.
Because of her volunteer work she was unable to make that time and rang to reschedule. After a couple of calls she was given a new time, which she assumed was also in Byron.
However, when she turned up at the Byron office she was asked "brusquely" what she was doing there, and when she replied, she was told to "go and sit down".
She was told to "sit down" once more, when she was asked her surname but didn't want to yell it out in the crowded office.
"Your appointment's in Brunswick Heads," she was told. "We don't do appointments here any more." Stephanie said "it was demeaning. I don't think I've ever spoken to anyone that way."
A new date was made, this time in Ballina.
"My problem at this time was that I was towards the end of my pay fortnight and I had very little funds," Stephanie said.
"It was a question of getting a bus ticket to Ballina or eating, seeing as the ticket costs about $14 - and that's with the concession."
Stephanie managed to get a friend to take her to Ballina, but if she hadn't, she said she would have had to go without food for a day or two "because I hadn't budgeted for such a trip".
"I have a good support network and a friend with a car was able to help me out. But there's a whole heap of people out there with no one to turn to, with no communication skills. How are they being treated?" Stephanie said.
The department denied any problems had been created by the changes.
One-off jobseeker claim finalisation meetings have been held at Brunswick Heads for two years, said its general manager Hank Jongen.
"This is because they are more complex than other claims and we are now providing more timely and efficient processing."
The Byron Bay service centre continued to hold regular personal contact interview appointments with job seekers, Mr Jongen said.
But the department was not sure about how many full-time staff it employed. "There are 10-12 full time staff across both sites. This has not changed since Christmas 2011.
"Of this pool of staff, different numbers will be at each site, each day, depending on work demands," it told the Byron Shire News.
"Their two sites' proximity has enabled up to 12 staff to regularly shuttle between the two sites for many years," it added.
The experience of people using the service, who may not be able to shuttle between the two sites quite so easily, is less happy.
Many people find the setup "very confusing" said the Community Centre's director Paul Spooner.
"This is a backward step. We would like to see a rethink from an access and equity point of view," he said. "The official line was that increasing the amount of computers equated to an improvement in services. I would question that."
Stephanie Nyein
...people out there with no one to turn to, with no communication skills. How are they being treated?
SHOCKED: Stephanie Nyein said her experience with the new systems at the Byron office was "demeaning". DIGBY HILDRETH
STAFF cuts and changes to procedures to boost "efficiencies" at Byron Bay's Centrelink office are proving anything but efficient for a proportion of its clients.
Staff at the office have been cut back to the bone to just three at any given time, while numbers at the Brunswick office have been increased.
In the meantime, the number of computers (or "self-service facilities") has increased in Byron, and more are planned, as part of a "refurbishment" mid-year.
But while the Department of Human Resources insists no one is disadvantaged by the changes, its clients' stories reflect another reality - of having to travel long distances for routine appointments, confusion, expense, time-wasting and offhand treatment.
The loss of personal interviews and poor communication are putting pressures on vulnerable people and costing them money in fares and unnecessary stress.
One man who said he had to "jump through hoops" before he received help is Garry Browning of Suffolk Park.
Until recently, Garry worked in the boning room at the Casino meatworks. When his son Adrian was forced to leave south-east Queensland after witnessing a violent crime, Garry left work to look after him. He chose to move to Byron because Adrian had an aunt here, and because Garry thought it was a safer environment for him.
Adrian, 17, has cerebral palsy, and while he is capable in most areas, he needs some extra help.
They secured a modest single room studio in Suffolk and Garry sought help through the Byron Centrelink on January 30.
So began a confusing and protracted process.
A staff member at the Byron office first told him it was just an information centre and that he could not speak to anyone. This was just one of "half a dozen" visits to Byron, during some of which he had to wait on to the phone for nearly an hour before he spoke to anyone.
In the following week he visited Lismore three times - spending what little he had on petrol and starting to get desperate to provide for his son.
Twelve days after his first contact he had a payment.
There was also confusion about Adrian's need to work. He had an appointment booked for the Ballina office for a job search, but was later told he didn't need to attend, as he wasn't required to look for work.
The change from face-to-face interviews is particularly difficult for some people - and clients report being repeatedly discouraged from seeking one. People seeking information or who want to report changes, such as in their income, are directed to one of the desktop computers or put on the phone.
The department claims the increase in computers is meeting demand but it is not replacing personalised service.
People wanting a "personal contact interview" can ask for it to be conducted in Byron Bay, said Lou Wilson, the department's region manager of participation programs for the Pacific Coast zone.
But staff were not forthcoming in giving this option said Cat Seddon, community services worker at the Byron Community Centre, who also said the people who needed such an interview were unlikely to know they could have one or were too intimidated to ask.
"The message people are getting is 'we don't do appointments here anymore," Cat said.
"And that they will need to travel to Brunswick Heads, Lismore or Ballina."
Stephanie Nyein is no shrinking violet but she was shocked by her treatment at the Byron office, which she called "demeaning".
Stephanie completed the Buttery program last year and was given three months respite by Centrelink to consolidate her rehabilitation and take on some voluntary work.
At about the three month mark, she was told she would need to make an appointment for a reassessment and a time was given at the Byron office.
Because of her volunteer work she was unable to make that time and rang to reschedule. After a couple of calls she was given a new time, which she assumed was also in Byron.
However, when she turned up at the Byron office she was asked "brusquely" what she was doing there, and when she replied, she was told to "go and sit down".
She was told to "sit down" once more, when she was asked her surname but didn't want to yell it out in the crowded office.
"Your appointment's in Brunswick Heads," she was told. "We don't do appointments here any more." Stephanie said "it was demeaning. I don't think I've ever spoken to anyone that way."
A new date was made, this time in Ballina.
"My problem at this time was that I was towards the end of my pay fortnight and I had very little funds," Stephanie said.
"It was a question of getting a bus ticket to Ballina or eating, seeing as the ticket costs about $14 - and that's with the concession."
Stephanie managed to get a friend to take her to Ballina, but if she hadn't, she said she would have had to go without food for a day or two "because I hadn't budgeted for such a trip".
"I have a good support network and a friend with a car was able to help me out. But there's a whole heap of people out there with no one to turn to, with no communication skills. How are they being treated?" Stephanie said.
The department denied any problems had been created by the changes.
One-off jobseeker claim finalisation meetings have been held at Brunswick Heads for two years, said its general manager Hank Jongen.
"This is because they are more complex than other claims and we are now providing more timely and efficient processing."
The Byron Bay service centre continued to hold regular personal contact interview appointments with job seekers, Mr Jongen said.
But the department was not sure about how many full-time staff it employed. "There are 10-12 full time staff across both sites. This has not changed since Christmas 2011.
"Of this pool of staff, different numbers will be at each site, each day, depending on work demands," it told the Byron Shire News.
"Their two sites' proximity has enabled up to 12 staff to regularly shuttle between the two sites for many years," it added.
The experience of people using the service, who may not be able to shuttle between the two sites quite so easily, is less happy.
Many people find the setup "very confusing" said the Community Centre's director Paul Spooner.
"This is a backward step. We would like to see a rethink from an access and equity point of view," he said. "The official line was that increasing the amount of computers equated to an improvement in services. I would question that."
Stephanie Nyein
...people out there with no one to turn to, with no communication skills. How are they being treated?