$12 million in Medicare benefits hits bank accounts
Minister for Government Services the Hon. Bill Shorten MP today announced 55,000 people have shared in more than $12 million in Medicare payments.
By updating their details in the myGov app, thousands of Australians have been reunited with held Medicare payments just in time for Christmas.
Minister Shorten said it’s fantastic progress since last month announcing close to one million Aussies were owed $230 million in unclaimed Medicare benefits.
“myGov is critical national infrastructure, and under Labor we want a strong and secure myGov that can make life easier for people,” Minister Shorten said.
“Just one way we’re doing this is by using myGov to send inbox messages directly to the almost 700,000 Australians who have an active account and are owed a share of millions in unclaimed Medicare benefits.
“We recognise Australians are doing it tough, that’s why Labor has paid as much as $1 million per day, which means over 55,000 Australians are now better off with a share of over $12 million in unclaimed benefits in their back pocket before Christmas.”
Minister Shorten said that Australians rightly expect to be able to interact with Government from the palm of their hand.
“People want simple and secure ways to do their government business and that’s exactly what the myGov app provides, with around 30% of all sign-ins to myGov now made via the app,” Minister Shorten said.
“Signing in is simpler, using either a 6-digit PIN or the biometric features of your phone, if it supports this. In fact, around 60% of sign-ins to the app are now made via fingerprint or face recognition.
The myGov app is proving a convenient way for people to access government services online, with more than 57 million sign-ins to myGov made with the app in the past 12 months.
The app is celebrating its first birthday, with nearly 3.8 million people now using it to quickly and easily access 15 government services, including Medicare and Centrelink.
The Albanese Labor Government has been making continual improvements to myGov to ensure all Australians have a simple, hassle free way to interact with Government.
The myGov app is available in both the App Store and Google Play. For more information, go to my.gov.au/app