We’ve listened to feedback and improved access to our social work services.

This is making it easier for people experiencing vulnerability to get the support they need.

Since November 2023 we’ve:

• increased our social workers by 18%, from 616 to 730
• improved how we allocate social workers across the country.

These improvements are already having an impact.

The average answer speed on our general Centrelink, Child Support and Medicare social work lines has dropped significantly. In April 2025, the wait time was consistently under 10 minutes, compared with over 25 minutes in May 2024. This means people who need support can speak with a social worker on the phone 60% faster than this time last year. We also have social workers available face-to-face in more service centre locations than before.

When customers aren’t able to speak to a social worker straight away, we can now respond through a callback or booked appointment. This time last year we had over 4,000 customers waiting for up to a month for contact. Now we’re calling customers back within a day or at a future time they choose. This has helped to reduce the number of social work referrals on hand, meaning customers are getting support when they need it.

While things are heading the right way, we’re not stopping here. We want to continue to improve our social work offer by:

• reducing wait times so customers can speak with a social worker sooner when they need help
• making access easier, including more consistent use of appointments and digital messaging tailored to a customer’s situation
• equipping staff with practical tools and training so they can identify when a customer needs social work support
• embedding customer feedback into how we design and deliver services, so we’re meeting real needs in real time.

Social workers are central to delivering on our commitment to a connected, capable, and customer-focused service. We’ll keep driving improvements so every customer receives the right support at the right time and in the right way.