Agents and Access Points 101-07000000

Services Australia provides customers in rural, regional, remote, and very remote communities with equity of servicing by providing digital support, equipment, and connectivity. This channel enables customers to access Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support, and other government services via myGov without needing to travel long distance to service centres.

Contracted organisations (the 'Host') employ specified personnel to deliver the agent or access point services. Specified personnel are not agency staff.

Access points provide free self-help facilities where customers can conduct their business with the agency.

This includes:

• a self service terminal (internet enabled computer)
• fax, photocopying and scanning facilities for customers to:
• upload documents
• provide information to the agency or
• for other related uses, such as job applications
• free Wi-Fi, available 24x7, to let customers:
• access online services using their own devices and
• download Express Plus mobile apps
• information products, brochures and agency messaging via a digital sign
• access to a telephone dedicated to call the agency and other organisations (for example, other government departments and local employment providers)
• Medicare reply paid envelopes for customers to forward receipts to support claims

Specified personnel at the access point can sight and confirm copies of identity documents. This stops a customer from having to send original documents in the mail for their claims. Specified personnel must complete a manual visual check of photo identification to link the customer to their identity.

Note: a stamp is not enough to confirm a manual visual check was completed. Specified personnel must specifically state a photo identification check was completed by noting this on the confirmed copy of any identification documents provided to the agency.

Apart from Identity Confirmation, there is no additional face to face assistance provided at access points by the specified personnel.

Agent sites are established in communities that require a more significant agency presence than provided by an access point. The agent site has the same facilities as an access point, but has additional support from specified personnel, including:

• help with accessing the agency’s self service resources
• help with printing and completing forms
• responding to customer enquiries and providing assistance, guidance or referral as appropriate
• help with Identity Confirmation as specified personnel can provide details verbally to the agency

Specified personnel are not agency staff and cannot:

• make payments or decisions about payments
• contact the agency to get information about a customer's payments or entitlements without the customer's permission
• review, assess or vary payments
• conduct an interview on behalf of the agency
• access Centrelink customer information or
• issue Electronic Banking Transfers (EBT), Basics Card, Medicare Cards or Health Care Cards

Office Locator can be used to search for the location of agency agents and access point sites.