Centrelink's costly new logo is a no-go

[twinkles**stars]

The new logo for Centrelink. Source: Supplied

IT'S the new Centrelink rainbow logo that cost taxpayers $4.6 million but nobody wants to own up to being the Mr Squiggle who signed off on the expenditure.

Despite ongoing complaints that Centrelink's call centres are understaffed, the Department of Human Services found millions of dollars for the logo update.

Announced by Centrelink on the social media site Twitter in February 2012, with a post stating: "We've got a new logo!'' the squiggle came with an eye-watering price tag.

First, departmental officials commissioned a $30,000 study into a new logo in 2010, when the Rudd-Gillard government merged Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support into one department, during the period former treasurer Chris Bowen was the responsible minister.

But the big cost arrived in 2011 and 2012 when the Department of Human Services decided to take down the Centrelink signs featuring two outstretched hands and replace them with the new rainbow squiggle. The Sunday Telegraph contacted former human services ministers Chris Bowen, Tanya Plibersek, Brendan O'Connor and Kim Carr to discover if one of them had signed off on the squiggle, but drew a blank.

The department even raised the prospect that the $4.6 million expenditure was not signed off by any minister at all, stating that "the changes to signage and minimal logo changes were handled as part of the normal administrative practices of the department''.

[debra9275]

Hi Freddie, I agree it's a shamozzle.

maybe they're hoping we'll give up on claiming

The left hand doesn't seem to now what the right hand is doing

when that happened to OH with an online Medibank claim it was rejected so he called them and was told he had to make a claim through Medicare  first. How are you supposed to know these things??? They are making it as hard as possible for people I reckon. Not to mention all the people who must've lost their jobs when they cut the service centres

[twinkles**stars]

My daughter is required to let CL know her income every 2 weeks....lol that's if you can get on line, and calling them you get the sorry our system is down please try later. So no report no payment....not that she gets much anyway as she works.

I really don't know how they think the general public can hang on a phone for 90+ minutes in a queue

[debra9275]

It's ridiculous Twinks, some are not well enough to hang on the phone for that long and then there's the cost of it

what a pain having to report her income every 2 weeks

[twinkles**stars]

It is silly Deb.....would be more logical to call if her imcome changes.

[freakiness]

---

@twinkles**stars wrote:

My daughter is required to let CL know her income every 2 weeks....lol that's if you can get on line, and calling them you get the sorry our system is down please try later. So no report no payment....not that she gets much anyway as she works.

I really don't know how they think the general public can hang on a phone for 90+ minutes in a queue

---

why can't she do it online?

[twinkles**stars]

---

@freakiness wrote:

---

@twinkles**stars wrote:

My daughter is required to let CL know her income every 2 weeks....lol that's if you can get on line, and calling them you get the sorry our system is down please try later. So no report no payment....not that she gets much anyway as she works.

I really don't know how they think the general public can hang on a phone for 90+ minutes in a queue

---

why can't she do it online?

---

Because she doesn't have a computer? Well she could use mine if she could get on to their site after work, after she gets home (6.30pm), takes care of her son, feds him, baths him etc etc all before the close off time of 8pm. It's a joke.

[*mrgrizz*]

AQIS a government department have just changed their name as well, to the department of forestery and blah blah, not sure what it is exactly.

but the funny thing it is the name they had before they become AQIS

[freakiness]

---

@twinkles**stars wrote:

---

@freakiness wrote:

---

@twinkles**stars wrote:

My daughter is required to let CL know her income every 2 weeks....lol that's if you can get on line, and calling them you get the sorry our system is down please try later. So no report no payment....not that she gets much anyway as she works.

I really don't know how they think the general public can hang on a phone for 90+ minutes in a queue

---

why can't she do it online?

---

Because she doesn't have a computer? Well she could use mine if she could get on to their site after work, after she gets home (6.30pm), takes care of her son, feds him, baths him etc etc all before the close off time of 8pm. It's a joke.

---

Their online service is available until midnight these days.

[nailed5]

The new centrelink logo has been copyed from the Australian Apec logo 2007 goggle it , its so similiar it make me wonder why it cost $4.6 million dollars to copy something what ajoke.

[nailed5]

Centrelinks new logo has just been copyed from the Australian Apec 2007 logo, well its that close its not funny goggle it, its not funny when it costs $4.6 million dollars what bull**bleep**.