Hold, Please: Students Calling Centrelink Typically Have to Wait More Than 30 Minutes

In news that will come as absolutely no surprise, students and young people wait on average 31 minutes and 15 seconds when calling Centrelink, the ABC reports.

That’s 15 more minutes than the average caller. So, no, you’re not going crazy.

Those numbers are based on the welfare agency’s annual report, which revealed the average wait time for all people is 15 minutes and 44 seconds, up 35 seconds from the previous year.

However, that nightmare number for young people is up nearly six minutes since the previous report.

Meanwhile, those phoning about disability, sickness or carers payments wait, on average, 28 minutes and 17 seconds, while those on the line to employment hotlines were left waiting for 30 minutes and 21 seconds.

In the 2016 – 2017 financial year, more than 55 million callers heard the engaged tone.

Centrelink has been at the, ahem, centre of a number of controversies over the past few years, including the time it “auto-rejected” 30,000 student payment claims.

We can guess how you're feeling.

Photo: KFOR