The Coalition Government will take action to replace the Department of Human Services decades old welfare payment IT system with a modern platform.
The action was announced after the Minister for Social Services, Scott Morrison, and the Minister for Human Services, Senator Marise Payne, made a visit to Centrelink in Campbelltown.
The Federal Member for Macarthur, Russell Matheson, who accompanied them, said: “It was great to have Minister Morrison and Minister Payne in Campbelltown this morning to make this important step in welfare reform.
“This new system will be designed around the customer, making it easier for individuals to comply with requirements and spend more time searching for jobs.
“The fact that Minister Morrison and Minister Payne chose to make this announcement in Macarthur shows how committed the Abbott Government is to the people of our region.”
Minister Morrison said: “If we want a flexible and modern social security system that meets the needs of those who rely on it, then we need flexible and modern infrastructure.
“This important long-term investment will allow the Government to properly address the challenges facing Australia’s welfare system, maximise the benefits of e-government, reduce the costs of administering the system for taxpayers and help crack down on welfare cheats.”
Minister Payne said the multi-year project will be one of the world’s largest transformations of a social welfare IT system.
“Work will begin immediately to mobilise the project team so that we can go to the market early in the financial year,” Minister Payne said.
“The project will be carried out in multiple tranches, with customers beginning to see the benefits of the upgrade at the end of the year.”
