In 2025 we continued our journey putting the customer voice at the centre of everything we do. The agency established a Lived Experience Reference Group to hear directly from customers about their experiences when interacting with us.
More than 200 customers and 13 peak and advocacy groups participated in our research and subsequent pilot. They shared personal stories and experiences freely, and with courage.
Our findings led to real change.
We heard how our staff always aim to give the best service and are always committed to helping people. We heard about good experiences where things just worked.
We heard our processes didn’t always support people when they needed us most. In response, we updated our training materials to help staff support people better. We prioritised empathy in our service delivery to make it easier for customers to get help.
We also considered the design of our service centres. Customers loved the new look but told us that our self-service computers didn’t always provide enough privacy. We’ve since updated our designs to give customers the privacy they need.
By sharing our actions with the reference group, we continue to build trust in our progress to make government services simple so people can get on with their lives. One group member said, ‘I felt heard, I felt hope, and I felt like my time was well invested.’
We’re always looking at ways to include this group in our journey so we can continue making positive change.