Using the National Relay Service (NRS) 106-01040000

The NRS is an Australian Government initiative, managed by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. It enables people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech disability to make phone calls in the same way as anyone else.

Services Australia (the agency) staff are encouraged to promote the NRS to customers across Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support who may benefit from its use when interacting with the agency.

Customers must register to use the NRS

From 20 April 2021, people must register to make and receive calls through the NRS, except to emergency services. Information about how to register is on the NRS website, or directly at NRS user registration.

See the National Relay Service for information on:

• Access to the service
• Relay officers
• Relay call options:
• NRS Chat (previously known as Internet Relay)
• SMS Relay (for text users)
• SMS Relay (Text and Listen) (for users who have trouble being understood on the phone)
• Video Relay (for Auslan users)
• NRS Captions (for users who speak their side of the conversation)
• Voice Relay (previously known as Speak and Listen) (for users who have trouble being understood on the phone)
• NRS App (you can make NRS Chat, NRS Captions, Voice Relay and Video Relay calls on the app)
• TTY options:
• Speak and Read (with the feature to listen to the caller)
• Type and Read
• Type and Listen

Customers using Teletypewriter (TTY) can call Services Australia through a direct TTY Freecall service or by using the NRS. See the accessibility link in the Resources page for available options.

Entities, other than the NRS, may also provide interpreting services for people who are deaf or have hearing loss.

If a customer prefers to use their own interpreter, then they do so at their own risk that errors or omissions may occur in the interpreted information. See Interpreter Services for customers who are deaf or have hearing loss.

The authentication process must be followed when interacting with customers via NRS. Customers may be targeted and exploited for identity and fraud related crimes.

When engaging with any customer via the NRS, agency staff must:

• Authenticate the customer by following Proof of Record Ownership procedures, and
• be satisfied the record belongs to the correct person before helping with the enquiry

If you cannot successfully authenticate the customer and confirm the NRS registered phone number before assisting with the customer’s enquiry, the call must be terminated.

The Resources page contains a links to the Services Australia website and external websites, including the NRS website.