Labor sitting on more than $200 million of unclaimed Medicare benefits

More than $200 million of Medicare benefits remain unclaimed, with new figures revealing almost 900,000 Australians are missing out on savings.

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy Paul Fletcher said the revelations are worrying, especially amid a cost of living crisis in which Australians need hip pocket relief.

“These benefits belong to Australians not the government and Labor must come clean and explain to the public why it is sitting on so much money rather than it being directed to the relevant customers,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Millions of families are struggling and we have a government that focuses more on spin than substance when it comes to supporting households.”

Mr Fletcher said this news comes as no surprise given Labor’s shocking reputation when it comes to transparency and service delivery.

“Labor has axed jobs at Services Australia which is clearly impacting service delivery,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Labor cut average staffing levels at Services Australia for this financial year, going from 28,560 in 2022-23 to 26,692 in 2023-24.

“It’s no wonder that Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has repeatedly refused to release data about how long Australians are having to wait to receive a Centrelink or Medicare payment.

“Mr Shorten needs to get his act together and have his agency devise a plan to reach these affected customers. Putting it in the too hard basked is unacceptable and Australians deserve better.”

Unclaimed Medicare benefits by jurisdiction as at 31 March 2023.