Comment Re: Follow the rules (Score 1) 90
This kind of 'the rules are always right' attitude is kind of weird.
If you have rules of a system in which 75% of the people who are automatically kicked off the system are found not to be at fault, then it could be the rules that are the problem, or that actually following the rules is unduly onerous. For example, if you try to call Centrelink, it is not unusual that you will be placed on hold for a long while, before your call is eventually cut off without ever being answered. If you cannot contact Centrelink, then it can be difficult to actually change things such as appointments, seek further information. and so on.
In a competitive landscape, businesses have call-back systems so you don't end up on hold forever, and someone does eventually make contact with you. In contrast, because Centrelink is the only port of call and because the current federal government would be quite happy for everyone on Centrelink services to give up and skip-dive for food, there is no impetus to improve it. Providing a reasonable service would potentially increase the cost of operations, _and_ increase the number of people who actually get the benefits for which they are eligible rather than giving up after bashing on the wall of bureaucracy until they could take it no more.
The '75% of people failed to do what they should have' view is somewhat akin to the 'well, if people want the stuff they lost through civil forfeiture back they can just go through the court process like the laws say'.
In a competitive landscape, businesses have call-back systems so you don't end up on hold forever, and someone does eventually make contact with you. In contrast, because Centrelink is the only port of call and because the current federal government would be quite happy for everyone on Centrelink services to give up and skip-dive for food, there is no impetus to improve it. Providing a reasonable service would potentially increase the cost of operations, _and_ increase the number of people who actually get the benefits for which they are eligible rather than giving up after bashing on the wall of bureaucracy until they could take it no more.
The '75% of people failed to do what they should have' view is somewhat akin to the 'well, if people want the stuff they lost through civil forfeiture back they can just go through the court process like the laws say'.
