The main public service union has warned Centrelink and Medicare staff are "desperately overstretched" and struggling to cope with the public backlash over a flawed debt recovery scheme.
The warning comes after the man hand-picked by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to lead digital projects said the public services needed "radical upskilling" to deliver services.
[...]
Mr Tull said the debt recovery scheme was making the public frustrated and angry with public servants at one of the busiest times of year.
"This scheme is an absolute nightmare for thousands of Centrelink customers who've done absolutely nothing wrong and the staff who are bearing the brunt of this mess," he said.
"They've been struggling in a system that's been in crisis for years now."
The government agency struggled to deal with an influx of Australians students applying for benefits at this time last year.
Some students were forced to wait up to four months for welfare payments to start after their application was lodged, as the agency struggled to deal with demand.
"Thousands of jobs have been cut in the Department of Human Services and that's why service standards have dropped to unacceptable levels, including 36 million missed calls to DHS just last year alone," Mr Tull said.