Among the critics have been Federal Member for Ballarat Catherine King, charity organisation Uniting and a swathe of people who use the service regularly.

The Courier has also received a number of letters to the editor on the subject, which can be seen below.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed shift of the Centrelink and Medicare offices to Wendouree.

These services have been relatively accessible to many older residents for years.

Why shift them now?

A lot of older people do not have transport.

It is easy to say "get a bus" but does anyone ever think about the disabled who find it very hard to get to the bus and then get to their destination after they get off the bus?

We are all told to call a call centre. That is a joke.

You get put on hold for ages and then if you are lucky you get told to download photos and other identification.

This is really frustrating when you either don't have the technology or the capabilities to do so.

You may get a letter a few days later telling you that something could not be read but the letter or email doesn't tell you what exactly can't be read.

People need face to face advice about their most personal details and they need to be able to access this easily.

We should not be having all our services taken away from the middle of Ballarat.

The councillors and others seem mystified as to why all the shops are shutting in central Ballarat but it is not rocket science when you see everything going to Wendouree and Delacombe.

It is not good enough for a city that I love.

- Julia Bridges

Moving the Albert Street Centrelink office to the Wendouree Call Centre site is a very bad idea.

The office is currently centralised in the city centre.

It's only one block from the main local bus hub, car parking and local supermarkets.

Many like myself travel on public transport to access the service

I'm a disability pensioner and like many others, the limited services to Wendouree are inconvenient.

Much of the rented accommodation is in Ballarat Central.

A return journey to the Wendouree by bus would take half a day, with no other household jobs completed such as shopping or bills.

The bus stop for Wendouree is by the hospital - it is a one-kilometre walk from my Ballarat Central address and a two-kilometre return journey.

Ballarat is known for its cold, inclement weather for much of the year.

The two buses run very closely together, with just one bus per hour.

Many Centrelink recipients are living below the poverty line, with few of the modern conveniences of the general public.

It's very demoralising, to be yet again, minimised.

Such a move, would only increase the alienation many customers already feel.

It adds another layer of discontent.

These attitudes and resentments are taken out on the staff In Centrelink offices.

It would be devastating to the local central economy, as it tries to recover from lockdowns.

Many small businesses are independently run, by locals, who rely on essential services for foot traffic.

- Susan Gilmore, Ballarat.

I personally don't use the service so I am not affected, but it seems like a very imprudent decision and unfair for the customers of Centrelink.

Access may be a little easier for the customers in Wendouree with lots of free parking unless the council starts to put in so-called smart metres to cash in on the vulnerable.

Did the people involved think about the frail who live in areas that are Mt Helen or Warrenheip?

How many bus changes do they have to take to get to Wendouree?

Lack of thought went into this decision. Very unfair!

A service like this should be kept at a central location.

- Rachel Muir, Winter Valley.

Moving Centrelink out of central Ballarat is a really not feasible for most people due to multiple reasons.

Lack of transport, lack of services close by, the homeless and mental health have enough issues without adding another problem to their lives to go and get help.

It is obvious the public has not even been considered in this decision as they are the reason you actually have your jobs in the first place!

Your service is there for them.

Stop making it harder for people to survive in these hard and difficult times.

Are you going to offer the people without money to get out to Wendouree?

No, you're just going to cause more distress to the people who require your service.

These people have no money to survive on let alone somehow have to travel all the way to Wendouree.

Fair go I say!

- Kerry Nolan, Wendouree

This decision to move Centrelink to Wendouree is not the right move.

The bus network is inflexible.

It disadvantages the elderly, disabled and homeless.

Keep it where it is and open a second Centrelink considering it takes hours to be seen.

Business district services should be in the town centre for easy access for all.

It's about time the government listened to regional needs and stop treating Ballarat as part of greater Melbourne.

Two offices are definitely required as the population has expanded and services have not expanded.

All local councillors need to join Ms King in support of keeping Centrelink where it is.

It is the only sensible decision.

- Kim Aspland, Mount Clear.

First issue: it's a long way to walk from Wendouree train station. Who the heck will take a train from Ballarat station to Wendouree station?

Second issue: is there a public toilet for the poor people coming to Service Australia like the old building had one beside the building?

Third issue: stop calling yourselves Service Australia and change it to Hardship Australia.

Feel sorry for the elder pensioners and jobs seekers.

Just improve your telephone service and you don't need a big place and waste of money.

You don't need a big office just the old building will do.

- Peter Singh, Ballarat.