Nick Bruining: The WA faces behind Centrelink’s massive backlog for new age pensions and account updates

Processing delays continue at Centrelink and Medicare, affecting thousands of new pension applications and existing customers who need to update their records.

Services Australia boss David Hazelhurst recently admitted that on December 31 last year, 1.1 millions claims across the two agencies were yet to be processed.

These are just three of the 1.1 million faces behind those claims . . .

Adele McIntosh Jackson

• Occupation: Independent contractor
• Claim type: Part-age pension
• Lodged: August 2023. She broke her ankle in December and is now claiming for a full benefit.
• Adele says: “My income and age meant that I was eligible to receive a part-pension and I lodged my application with all of the documentation in August. Then in December, I broke my ankle and was unable to work, meaning I have no income. I have worked my entire life and never claimed any benefits. Is this how they treat you when you’re older and in dire need?”

Gwen Wiseman

• Occupation: Retail employee
• Claim type: Part-age pension
• Lodged: November 2023
• Gwen says: “I still work one day a week and meet all of the requirements. Lodgement of documents is extremely difficult, time-consuming and confusing. I was told by an accountant friend that his lodgement took him four weeks to finalise. I am frustrated that in this modern age, claiming a simple pension is so complicated that it takes months and months to get it processed.”

John van Gemmert

Occupation: Metal fabricator

Claim type: Part-age pension

Lodged: December 2022,

resubmitted in March 2023

John says: “I ran a fabrication business which I had to close down after COVID. I sold the equipment to pay off my debts leaving me with nothing, but Centrelink still insist I have $187,000 in business assets. This has been going on for nearly a year. I am very disappointed and frustrated with the way Centrelink as an organisation deals with people who are reaching the age to receive a pension. The system is broken and needs urgently fixing.”

In an effort to improve outcomes for Your Money readers, we have tapped into the expertise of financial advisers who know the system backwards.

This will hopefully make applying easier and provide useful shortcuts to get your queriesanswered. as they work through the order you follow in lodging a claim and then day-to-day interaction with Centrelink.

Check them out in the links above, or go to our Your Money page.