The Commonwealth Government has decided to create a new service delivery agency. Its
aim will be to provide excellent customer service and to offer a "one-stop-shop"
for a range of services which are currently delivered by different departments.
Initially the agency will provide all the payments and services now provided by the Department of Social Security (DSS) together with some of the employment and student services of the Department of Employment, Education and Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA). There will still be a convenient network of offices around Australia including improved Teleservice Centres.
Customers will notice changes such as a simple one stop registration and claim process for unemployed people.
Customers are guaranteed no interruptions to current payments with the transfer to the new agency.
The aim is simple. Better customer service. The agency will have a customer charter and
guaranteed standards of service.
In the future, other Commonwealth Government services will be added to the agency and customers will be able to do more Government business in the one place at the one time. Decisions can be made and conveyed to them on-the-spot.
Customers will also be able to choose to do more of their Government business over the phone with one agency - phone services will be improved with some information services available 24 hours a day and some services available at weekends.
The one stop agency means the community need no longer be confused about what different Commonwealth departments do, they will be able to access assistance from the one place.
The main objective of the new agency will be to offer high quality service to customers. It will reduce duplication of services and offer economies of scale - and that means Australians will be getting better value for their money.
The new structure will build upon the existing DSS network.
The agency will be managed by a Chief Executive Officer reporting to a Board of Directors. The Board will represent the best interests of the Australian community, bringing together people from both public and private sector backgrounds.
Formal agreements will set out what the agency must do, making it more accountable to the taxpayer.
The agency has not yet been named. That's because it is intended to change more than a name. The agency will set new standards of quality in everything it does.
DSS and DEETYA will still exist, but will be much smaller organisations responsible for policy development. The agency will be contracted by these departments and others to deliver services.
With more than five million customers, a budget of $40 billion and a staff of more than 20,000, the new agency will be a major initiative.
Work has already started on building the new agency. It will be launched in July 1997 and will start operating by September 1997. Customers will start to notice the difference before then.
There will be a lot of work to do in the lead up to the launch of the new agency. Regular updates and extensive consultations with customers, staff and community groups will ensure the new agency gets it right. There will be a comprehensive information program to keep you up to date.
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