Centrelink and Medicare Australia in one place
As part of the Government’s service delivery reforms, people will soon be able to access more Centrelink and Medicare Australia services under one roof.
Centrelink and Medicare Australia already offer side-by-side services in more than 20 locations across Australia. This will be expanded from July 2010, when further Centrelink and Medicare Australia offices begin to co-locate.
Our co-located sites bring services together in one place and make it easier for people to deal with Government.
Which offices will be co-located?
The Minister for Human Services has announced 42 sites that will be co-located by mid-2011, with four of our new co-located offices already open.
- Media Release 21 May 2010 — Service Delivery Reform in action
- Media Release 9 July 2010 — Gillard Government delivering better services across Australia
How does it work?
The Minister for Human Services has announced 42 sites that will be co-located by mid-2011, with four of our new co-located offices already open.
Adding face-to-face services to existing sites
Extra services will be added to some locations where they are not currently provided. For example, existing Medicare offices will provide face-to-face Centrelink services, or existing Centrelink Customer Service Centres will provide face-to-face Medicare Australia services. This will not result in office closures—rather it uses our existing network of offices to deliver a wider range of services.
Physically merging two sites
This change involves physically locating existing Centrelink and Medicare offices together to provide full services under one roof. It does not mean withdrawing services from a location—rather it results in a combined, single public point of entry.
In these places, people will have access to full Medicare and Centrelink services in one location.
Introducing Medicare Australia Access Points
Medicare Australia Access Points will be added to 61 Centrelink Customer Service Centres across the country. Providing 'self service' access will extend Medicare services in rural and remote areas of Australia and deliver greater convenience to the community.
Child Support Agency Services
The Child Support Program is already co-located with Centrelink in more than 20 locations and offers visiting services to many more. The Child Support Program currently offers services in eight of the Centrelink Customer Service Centres announced by the Minister for co-location with Medicare Australia by mid-2011. This will allow customers to access Centrelink, Medicare Australia and Child Support services from one location.
As co-location progresses it is expected more and more services will be delivered under one roof including Child Support Program services.
Local Connections to Work
In addition to hosting a co-located Medicare staff member, Centrelink Customer Service Centres in Campsie (NSW), Elizabeth (SA), Frankston (VIC) and Ipswich (QLD) have recently combined efforts with community, government and non-government organisations in the local region to bring a more tailored approach to job seekers and other individuals requiring assistance.
