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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-03-07 Daily Xml
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CONSUMER AND BUSINESS SERVICES

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Business Services and Consumers. Can the minister please inform the house how the collections for charitable purposes code of conduct will promote further public confidence in the charity sector in South Australia?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:18): I thank the honourable member for her question. The Consumer and Business Services Centre has opened a one-stop shop for consumer, licence and tenancy matters. The new centre is located on Grenfell Street and it provides face-to-face advice and a range of services. The launch of the centre demonstrates our dedication to streamlining services, cutting red tape and delivering improved services that are more accessible to the community.

Previously, people had to go to different places to access many of the services that are now conveniently offered in the one place. The centre provides a central point where consumers, licensees, renters and landlords can go for CBS services. Services provided through the customer service centre include:

licence application, renewal payments and inquiries;

applications for birth, death and marriage certificates and related inquiries;

change of name applications;

bond lodgements and refunds; and

tenancies and consumer affairs advice.

During the official launch of the customer service centre, I was joined by a local plumber who had previously visited the centre during its initial set-up stages. She was overwhelmed by the fantastic customer service she received while renewing her registration, noting that the whole experience was efficient and effective.

Overall, CBS provides advice and services that are essential to the operation of local businesses and personal matters, creating a high demand on the department's resources. The creation of the new centre has provided the opportunity for staff to be trained across multiple services, saving individuals and businesses time and money. The CSC provides more than a front counter operation. Staff in the back office are also making significant contributions to improve the operation and efficiency of existing processes including:

receipting applications for birth, death and marriage certificates, licences and association matters;

answering around 900 phone calls a week on liquor, gaming, plumbing, gas fitting and electrical licences and association, cooperative and limited partnership matters; and

granting of selective occupational licences and liquor and gaming personal approval applications.

The CSC has provided face-to-face service for over 11,000 customers since its commencement date in December of last year. There has also been a lot of work to make more consumer and business services available online. In mid-2012, online renewals for occupational licences were introduced. Currently, almost one-quarter of the renewals processed in total are done online.

The CBS customer service centre is located at street level, Chesser House, 91 Grenfell Street. The operating hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. I would encourage every member to get down to Chesser House and experience the fantastic service that the centre offers. Information and advice may also be sought online at www.cbs.sa.gov.au or by calling 131 882.

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