Bureaucracy Gone Mad

[Greynomad]

Son-&-Heir, (unofficial) D-i-L & G’daughter are booked to fly to Thailand for their 2020 Family Holiday (postponed due to Covid) this Friday.
Passport Office recommends allowing six weeks for processing.
Son-&-Heir posted application for Gd’s passport ELEVEN WEEKS AGO… hadn’t arrived yesterday.
So he visited the Passports Office… along with 300 other people. Staff were walking the queue asking “anyone travelling today or tomorrow” to step forward for immediate processing. He advised them that he was travelling Friday, so it was noted on the application form.
As the passport is for a minor, permission of both parents is required. (They’re divorced.)
So the Public Servant phoned mother, then said privacy laws meant he couldn’t discuss the application with her because she didn’t lodge the application.

Mother hit the roof. Just about chewed the ear off the P.S., telling him in no uncertain terms he would speak with her, and she does approve of the application. An eleven-year-old who has waited two years for this holiday would be heartbroken to miss out because of a Public Servant’s obtuse insensitivity.
This reading of the rules defies logic.
HE phoned HER, then said he wasn’t allowed to talk to her!

Passports Office phoned this afternoon to tell S&H that his daughter’s passport is ready for collection now.

[Dot]

ring or go and sit in your MP's office and make arrangements for the newspaper or tv to be there as well. OR better still make it the passport office.

[Greynomad]

Dottie,
As edited above, passport is ready.
We have recommended to S&H the action you suggested.
He has a busy schedule waiting on his return, but we have suggested he find the time to discuss the issue with his Federal MP.

[Shirley]

My daughter in law is from New Caledonia met my son at University when she was an International student, she decided to become an Australian citizen earlier this year, they were going to Mauritius for a month so she decided to get an Australian passport, told the same 6 weeks, 9 weeks later when it hadn't arrived a week before their departure after several phone calls & two visits , she was able to renew her French passport in three days, she has been living in Australia about 26years, sure is something a miss in the government passport department.

[jon_d]

Albo has already told the passport office to sort their mess out.

A left over from old.

[Greynomad]

Son-&-Heir (with family) have touched down in KL… passports in hand.

[Peter]

I will begin by stating I am not a member of any political party. I have a firm belief that the entire public service departments both commonwealth and state are long over due for an independent review which would include.

Why do they actually exist
What are the expectations as to what they should achieve for the public
Do they meet theses expectations ( In most cases they fail )
Are the CEO's and executives meeting expectations ( generally No )
Should the CEO and the top 5 bureaucrats in each department be dismissed and bring in new blood with a new and real approach to public service.
I wont extend the list any further however I am sure many other suggestions could be mentioned.

A few years ago I wrote to the then PM Turnbull along the lines listed above as I was encountering numerous difficulties with centerlink on behalf of my 93 year old mother who had suffered a fall and had brain damage and had to go into a nursing home. All Centrelink wanted to do was to frustrate every effort to sort out what should have been minor and straight forward issues. The response from the PM was absolutely nothing no acknowledgement whatsoever.

The good think was that Turnbull got the sack a short time later.

About six months later I got even . Our local federal member attended lunch at our over 50's village to present an Australian flag. I told the person organizing the lunch that I intended to front him in front of all persons at the lunch. He offered to talk to me privately however I informed him that what I was about to say should be said in public. Anyhow I gave him a good serve in front of about 200 people at the lunch.

Bring on a review.

[T1 Terry]

A friend was getting really frustrated with the whole Centre Link B/S when trying to get a disability pension. He was finally directed to an organisation that tutors the applicant into how to answer questions ...... can you do meaning full work means, can you work continuously without a rest stop for a min of 4 hrs without suffering any physical pain, collective or accumulated pain or injury or any mental stress ...... how many of us could answer yes to that question using those guidelines If you answer no to any question that can later be challenged, the return question is, please define the parameters of the question ..... put that sort of question before a committee and see if they ever come up with a definitive answer
Let's face it, the public service bosses are gaming the system to get the results their bosses want, simply playing the same game back again puts them in a tail spin because they have to refer it up the chain of command because no one wants a wrong answer pinned to them .... in the end there generally isn't an answer that is purely black and white. The only ones who get busted gaming the system are clearly doing something illegal, the rest were simply scared off by the bluster and B/S thrown at them to see just how strong their case was and if it would stand up to public scrutiny ......

T1 Terry

[Greynomad]

During the initial Covid outbreak we had to do business with Centrelink.
There was a man at the locked street door who brought people in one at a time and asked about 7~10 questions before opening the inner door to the reception desk.
Receptionist then proceeded to ask me the identical questions!
When I protested that I had already answered them to the satisfaction of the doorman, I was told I had to answer them again before they would process me.
So I said, “The answers are no, no, no,no, and yes.”
I was then told I had to wait until she asked me the questions.
I asked for the office manager, who told me the same thing, to which I asked “Why?”
“Government directive.”
“Can you show me that directive?”
“No. Confidential government document.”
So I complied under protest, then wrote to the Minister.
His response was,
“




.”
And that’s a direct quote.

[Dot]

I will be starting lessons for people that get no where with brown nose employees. The key thing is never give in no matter how long it takes. So far I have won every dispute with Gov and non gov agencies, but still in more shite talks with road maintenance people. Remember if all else fails claim your indigenous rights,