Paying the Price of Welfare Reform: the experiences of Anglicare staff and clients in interacting with Centrelink

This research examines the experience of accessing and interacting with Centrelink for both clients and staff of Anglicare community service organisations in three different jurisdictions – Southern Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia. Through a survey and face-to-face interviews, the research explores how their interactions with Centrelink affect their lives and what improvements they would like to see. The key findings of the research explore difficulties in accessing Centrelink, falling through the safety net, and quantifying Anglicare support. The research concludes that although welfare reform may be leading to cost savings for the government, substantial costs are being shifted to vulnerable customers and the community services that support them.