Welfare agencies, the public sector union, and clients have added their voices to condemn Centrelink's move to Wendouree.
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Announced earlier this week, Services Australia confirmed Centrelink, Medicare, and some National Disability Insurance Agency and Department of Veterans' Affairs services will be offered from a new customer service centre on Learmonth Road in Wendouree from December 13, with the current Albert Street site in Ballarat's CBD to close.
Susan Gilmore, a Centrelink client herself, said she had moved to central Ballarat to make sure she was close to the service centre, as well as other amenities.
The move would make accessing services harder for clients, she said, especially for people who needed public transport.
"Sometimes you realise for many people it's the last straw," she said.
"If people have difficulty accessing the place, is that (Centrelink's) actual aim? To make it so difficult for people to come? So they can minimise it to the point where they close the office because people aren't going?
"I've only just got myself a second-hand iPad, before that I used my phone for everything, and the number of times where you get a request to scan things and send it in - they're shocked, the young people on the end of the line, when I say 'I don't have a computer, I don't have a scanner, I don't have Wi-Fi'.
"The number of things that people on benefits don't have would surprise people - why make it more difficult?"
She added she was concerned Centrelink clients, particularly vulnerable people, would be "more and more minimised".
"They think 'oh it's all in the same town, they can all get there', they have no idea what life at the bottom of the pile is like," she said.
"I've seen it from both sides myself, and I know that they're thinking about saving money, and there are so many different ways to save money without directly impacting residents' daily life - just leave it alone, that's what I say.
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"In every way it disadvantages the people they're there for, and with a growing population it's just a ludicrous idea that will just make more trouble."
Up the road from the current Centrelink office is Uniting, which offers a helping hand to people in need, as well as its Breezeway meals service.
Uniting Vic.Tas general manager for north and west Victoria, Annett Kelly-Egerton, told The Courier there are concerns about how the change will impact people like the elderly, those without a car, and people with limited transport options.
"The current site is easily accessible in the CBD and close to a number of other community services, including Uniting. If you live over the other side of Ballarat to get to Wendouree, you'll have to catch two buses, so it could take an extra 40 minutes to get there," she said in a statement.
"Many of our consumers come to Ballarat to visit us and other support services close by, so there is that concern that moving further away might mean they're less likely to receive the help they need."
It's not yet known how many staff will be making the move to the Learmonth Road site, where there is already a Centrelink call centre, as well as a medical and childcare centre.
Previously, Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen said the move was to provide a "state-of-the-art facility" for staff, with the decision made as "leases come up for renewal".
According to publicly-available documents, the 2300 square metre Albert Street building is privately owned, and was leased for $3.4 million over a four-year contract since 2018.
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Community and Public Sector Union national president Alistair Waters, in a statement to The Courier, said it was a "worrying trend" in reducing face-to-face services.
"This is a well-established pattern by Services Australia senior management of failing to genuinely consult with workers and the community about the very real implications of changes. Instead, Services Australia only advises decisions after the fact, to reduce push back from the community," he said.
"Australia has seen the demand for these services surge during this pandemic. And in the economic wake of COVID-19 the availability and access of these services will be critical. Not all clients can access online services and it is essential that the government does not leave parts of our community behind."
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