The huge changes coming to Centrelink that will affect thousands of Australians

A shake-up Centrelink is set to affect thousands of Australians. 

As the organisation focuses on their online presence, it has been revealed that a number of offices around the country will be shutting up shop. 

Branches at Newcastle and Newport in New South Wales, and Mornington in Victoria, will close their doors. 

The office at Tweed Heads in northern New South Wales is also being closed. 

‘We have a responsibility to the taxpayer. Leasing offices is expensive,’ Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen told 9News. 

Some offices will be replaced with a so-called ‘agency’ or kiosk that will be staffed by one person. 

Each day more than 66,000 people walk into Centrelink offices around the country. 

This is being dwarfed by the amount of people who access government services online, with half a million people logging into the MyGov website each day. 

Former opposition leader Bill Shorten has claimed the closing of some Centrelink locations is a move by the government to cover costs in other areas at the expense of citizens. 

‘This government’s more interested in band aiding a dodgy budget surplus and it’s going to do it by shafting everyday Centrelink users,’ Mr Shorten said.

Services Australia, which oversees Centrelink, said in its annual report that it is trying to ‘maximise the benefits of digital capabilities while reducing the costs of administering payments’.

‘This is not about reducing our services overall. This is about consolidating into more appropriate locations,’ Mr Jongen said. 

He claims foot traffic through Centrelink’s doors has reduced by 46 per cent in the past five years. 

It is not known if any further Centrelink locations are scheduled to close when their leases come up for renewal. 

Half a million people are logging into the MyGov website each day rather than visiting offices