People experiencing homelessness and other vulnerabilities who live outside our largest cities will have better access to government payments and services, with an innovative program expanding to 9 new sites, including the Gold Coast.

Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten, joined the team at St Johns Crisis Centre in Surfers Paradise today to announce the new Services Australia Community Partnerships locations.

As well as the Gold Coast, the new sites are in Cairns, Toowoomba, Bendigo, Gosford, Newcastle, Albury-Wodonga, Perth, and Parramatta.

“These partnerships are in addition to 18 existing locations where Services Australia Community Partnership Specialist Officers (CPSOs) have been working alongside non-government organisations (NGOs) to support people experiencing homelessness and other at-risk circumstances,” Minister Shorten said.

“As Minister for Government Services, one of my priorities is streamlining access to government support, and these Partnerships do just that”.

Since they began as a pilot in 2022, CPSOs have helped people in need on more than 33,642 occasions. CPSOs work collaboratively with Services Australia’s network of Community Outreach Specialists who meet with vulnerable people within their communities. These include services for people experiencing mental ill-health, family and domestic violence services, drug and alcohol services and youth services.

“Working alongside NGOs, learning from each other’s expertise, and listening and responding to people’s needs mean the partnerships are having a positive impact,” Minister Shorten said.

“We are meeting people where they are, working with them individually to understand their circumstances and tailoring support to connect them to essential government services.”

For more information visit servicesaustralia.gov.au/community-partnership-specialist-officers