NDIS outsourced call centre staff say they must pose as public servants and set priorities

Outsourced call centre staff on the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) phone lines say they are required to pretend to be public servants and are responsible for deciding which funding requests are prioritised. Workers at Serco told Guardian Australia they have been issued government agency email addresses, making it hard for the public to tell them apart from direct NDIA employees despite large differences in pay, conditions, training and support.

A Serco employee said staff were kept at arm’s length from the public service and that the government "outsources its duty of care to contractors"; the worker asked not to be identified. Serco workers said team leaders screen and determine whether urgent funding requests are placed into a priority queue even though they are not welfare or disability trained and lack financial qualifications to understand participant budgets.

They described callers facing delays and poor guidance, including the example of people "bedridden with a broken hoist" whose funds had been depleted. Serco’s most recent NDIA contract began in September 2024 for a three‑year term with up to two further three‑year extension options; the company said it had a 1,200‑strong contact centre team.

Interviews with outsource staff put starting pay at about $52,800 a year compared with more than $72,000 for many public servants on the same lines.

Key Topics

Politics, Serco, Ndia, Ndis, Call Centre, Outsourcing