The Benalla community is fighting for the Government to re-open the local Centrelink office, and I am working side-by-side with locals to make sure the new Government listens to our needs.
In 2020 the Benalla Centrelink office was closed due to the pandemic, and even though the community was promised consultation on what future services would look like, that consultation never happened.
In June last year, with just two days notice, Services Australia announced the office wouldn’t re-open, and instead there would be an “agency model,” where people would be directed to use a phone or computer at the Personnel Group office on Nunn Street.
That arrangement is not working at all and there is a clear need for face-to-face services in Benalla.
This has been so damaging for the town, where there are more elderly people and higher rates of disadvantage. The costs of fuel are high and it’s not always easy to go to Wangaratta or Shepparton for an appointment.
I recently met with Government Services Minister Bill Shorten to make the case for the office to be re-opened, and in a constructive meeting, he said he would listen to the people of Benalla make the case.
And that is what we are going to do.
Local community organisers are collecting stories from people in Benalla about what it would mean to them to have the local Centrelink office re-opened, and you can email [email protected] to share why you want the office to be re-opened.
A petition of more than 1700 signatures has been collected and I will table that in Parliament to make sure the Government knows how serious we are about this.
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