Consumer and Business Services

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Business Services and Consumers a question about Riverland services.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I refer the minister to her assertion in this place on 20 May 2014 that the Berri Office of Consumer and Business Services was closed last year due to a lack of inquiries. Freedom of information documents reveal the office did not keep phone and counter statistics for the year and a half leading up to its closure. The latest data that the minister gave this council on 20 May was for 2011 and, therefore, is consistent with this indication. My questions are:

1. Can the minister advise the council of the total number of phone calls and counter inquiries to the Berri office of CBS in December 2012?

2. With all in-person services formerly provided by CBS now being managed by Service SA, following the closure of the office, were any extra staff employed and was staff training provided in these areas of service?

3. What steps did the government take to consult and inform the community of the closure, including advertising?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for his important question. Indeed, he has raised this issue before in this place, and my answer remains fairly much the same. The closure of the Berri office has not affected the high level of service CBS provides to country customers. The CBS customers residing in Berri and the surrounding areas continue to have access to services in person through Service SA. Service SA provides a one-stop shop for customers where they can complete CBS-related transactions for a range of different services.

I am advised that the CBS has not received any complaints about this office closure. I am not too sure what date that was; around the 30^th of the fifth, I think, I was advised of that. I understand that there was no noticeable spike in inquiries to the Adelaide office caused by the closure of the Berri office. I understand that the counter services provided by the Berri office, including referrals to other agencies and specialists in the CBS, averaged two per day in 2009, 1.5 per day in 2010 and 0.5 per day in 2011. The CBS continues to regularly visit the Riverland and can have a team of investigators up there the same day if required.

I understand that there was an FOI request by the member for Chaffey seeking to identify the number of people who sought assistance at the Berri office for each financial year, going from 2008-09 through to 2012-13. I am advised that records were provided to Mr Whetstone and that he was advised that there were no records made for the periods 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 and 1 January 2012 to 30 June 2013 that matched his inquiry.

Statistics of work performed by the Berri office staff were kept, I am advised, for the period 1 January 2012 to 30 June 2013, but these included work referred from the Adelaide office and didn't only relate to the customers in Berri. Although these statistics obviously didn't fall within the scope of the wording of the FOI applications, I am advised that copies were also provided to Mr Whetstone with the customer's personal information removed, of course.

Although detailed monthly reporting on local inquiries ceased at the Berri office, I am advised, in December 2011 with the change of reporting arrangements at the CBS head office, both discussions with staff and observations during management visits, I understand, confirmed that the low level of demand had not increased before the decision was made to close the office. Work previously performed at the Berri office is now performed, as I said, by Service SA or by CBS Adelaide office staff.

The statistics of phone inquiries to the CBS Adelaide office show that the total calls taken for fair trading and tenancy matters increased by 9 per cent from September 2013 to October 2013. However, in the previous year, calls increased by 15 per cent for the same period and overall calls were higher. As I have said, I am advised that there were no noticeable spikes in inquiries to the Adelaide office caused by the closure of the Berri office.

It would appear that, using the best information we have, there was very little traffic through that office, certainly not enough to justify the expense (I think it was $100,000-odd a year) of keeping that office open. We have not received complaints from locals, only from the Hon. Stephen Wade, and there appears to be no influx in calls coming from that area into our central office.