Coronavirus crisis at Centrelink Government Services Minister Stuart Robert didn’t know

As hundreds of thousands of newly unemployed workers spend a second day lined up outside Centrelink offices across Australia seeking financial help and support, the Government Services minister Stuart Robert has admitted he didn’t anticipate such a big rush.

 Queues at many branches in capital cities stretched for hundreds of metres by 7am – 90 minutes before Centrelink was due to open – with Mr Robert admitting he did not realise the scale of the decision’ made by State Governments across Australia to close restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms, cinemas and other ‘non essential’ services. 

Despite government urging people to access help online, the lines continue to grow, with at least 300,000 directly affected by the shutdown – although Mr Robert says those figures could actually be close to one million.    

‘My bad, not realising the sheer scale of the decision on Sunday night by the national leaders,’ he said.

‘That literally saw hundreds and hundreds of thousands, maybe a million people, unemployed overnight.’  

It comes after 88,000 hospitality and tourism workers lost their jobs on Monday when the government closed all pubs, bars, cinemas and gyms in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

A queue forming outside the Preston Centrelink office in Melbourne, as people desperately tried to seek financial help

Rain did not deter people from queuing for hours at the Bondi Junction Centrelink office, in Sydney’s east

Andrew Steel’s business tourism business was instantly affected by the decision to shut Australia’s borders.

The father-of-two has been forced to sublease his Queensland rental property and shift to Sydney to stay with family.  

Despite his best efforts to minimise his cash loss, he told Daily Mail Australia he had serious concerns over whether he would be able to re-open his hot air ballooning business.

‘We’ve taken six months as the window, so if people can hang in for that length of time we can hopeful get back to it,’ Mr Steel, 56, said.

‘But cash flow is my biggest concern, I don’t know when I come back if we’ll be able to start up again.

‘I’ve put 12 people out of work and sub-leased my place for about 70 per cent of what I paid for it, and I’m now staying with family. 

Andrew Steel, 56, had no option but to move to Sydney from Queensland to stay with family when he was forced to close his tourism business 

Paris Brenac, 21, spent a second day queuing outside the Darlinghurst Centrelink branch in sydney’s east, after she waited in line on Monday but was not able to get help

By 8am, the Bondi Junction Centrelink office already had a line wrapping around the corner, despite it not opening for another hour

‘But the big concern for me is that even when the threat of coronavirus is gone, how long will it be until tourists return?’

For a second consecutive day Paris Brenac joined the Centrelink queue, having recently lost her job at the Clovelly Hotel.  

The 21-year-old student said while she was in a better position than most, if the estimated six month shutdown cane true she would need financial help.

‘I think I’m like many people in this line who have lost their hospitality jobs in recent days,’ Ms Brenac said.

‘I’m at university studying law and still live with my parents, so I’m in a better position than most.

‘But still, I’m not going to be able to work for six months and I don’t like asking mum and dad for handouts – especially if it’s going to be for six months. 

Among the hundreds lined up outside the Bondi Junction office were backpackers whose jobs were lost in an instant when pubs and restaurants were forced to close on Monday

The first eager Centrelink customers began queuing up outside the Darlinghurst bureau at 4am

Swimming coach Nicole Giovenale (pictured) spent two-and-a-half hours in the Centrelink queue on Monday and was back again on Tuesday hoping for assistance

‘I’d just got a job at a paralegal firm but that’s on freeze now, so I’m here to see what I can get access to.

‘I tried at Bondi Junction yesterday, but despite getting there at 8.15am I didn’t even get halfway to the end.’    

Marc Smith arrived outside Centrelink in Darlinghurst, Sydney, at 4am, unable to sleep after being put out of work.

The 51-year-old personal trainer said he had only a few weeks’ worth of savings in the bank and would be in desperate need of government assistance.

A first time visitor to the Centrelink queue, he said if he could not get financial support he feared he would soon be on the streets.

Tensions escalated outside the Darlinghurst Centrelink office on Tuesday when people accused each other of ‘pushing in’ 

The queue included some of the 88,000 hospitality and tourism workers lost their jobs on Monday when the government closed all pubs, bars, cinemas and gyms in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19

‘I’ve never had to get government help before, so this is all new to me,’ Mr Smith said.

‘I’m just in shock, I didn’t think I would ever get to this stage in my life.

‘I haven’t been able to sleep at all, the possibilities are just playing on my mind, so I came down here at 4am because what else was I going to do.

‘I don’t know how I’m going to end up paying the rent and my bills, I have a little bit of savings but that will only get me through a few weeks, so it’s scary. 

A line forming at the Centrelink office in Brunswick, Melbourne, on Tuesday morning as people anxiously waited to see if they could get financial help

Swimming coach Nicole Giovenale spent two-and-a-half hours in the Centrelink queue on Monday. 

She was born in Australia then grew up in Italy before coming back home in early 2019. 

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 1,887

New South Wales: 818

Victoria: 411

Queensland: 319

Western Australia: 140

South Australia: 134

Australian Capital Territory: 32 

Tasmania: 28 

Northern Territory: 5

TOTAL CASES:  1,887

DEAD: 7

She said she he and her Italian partner would struggle to pay their rent without any government support – and feared thousands of backpackers will soon be on the streets. 

‘I lost my job and my boyfriend is a waiter, but his restaurant is going to shut down,’ Ms Giovenale said. 

‘We spoke with our house manager and he didn’t want to listen, he said: ‘If you don’t have money to pay, get out’. 

‘We don’t know what we are eligible for, so we have to go home and get online and see what we can get. 

‘But most of the people who work in these industries that are being shutdown are backpackers or people on working holiday visas. 

‘You have to wonder what will happen to them all? Will they end up on the street or fly home?’

 

 

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