Parkes Service Centre statement

Services Australia is an essential service delivering key coronavirus support measures to communities across the nation.

Our role providing services right now is critical and we continue to do this with the health and safety of our staff and customers being a top priority.

We can confirm one of our Parkes Service Centre staff has tested positive for COVID-19.

We are working very closely with NSW Health as it investigates the case and to gain an understanding of any staff and customer contact that may have occurred.

The staff member has not been in the office this week and they are currently in self-isolation.

The Parkes Service Centre is closed today, Wednesday, 2 September, while a deep clean is undertaken.

In consultation with NSW Health we expect to reopen tomorrow, Thursday, 3 September, with front of house staff who have not had any close contact with the staff member who tested positive.

We are confident the service centre is safe for customers and staff.

We are ensuring all our staff have the right working environment to deliver these essential services. This includes following guidance from the Australian Department of Health in terms of social distancing, good hygiene practices, increased cleaning, minimal face-to-face meetings and restructured teams.

We have strong controls including entry screening, hand sanitiser access and polycarbonate screens.

In the meantime, we remind customers they don’t have to visit service centres.

People can do most of their business using our online services. This includes reporting income, uploading documents, claiming payments or telling us about a change in their circumstances.

Customers can also call us on their main payment line for prompt assistance.

We’ll ensure we keep the Parkes community updated with any developments.

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