New human services minister Michael Keenan has refused to put on record his commitment to reducing Centrelink's call waiting times.



During a parliamentary committee hearing last week the deputy secretary of the Department of Human Services, Barry Jackson, said he couldn't say whether the plagued welfare agency had any targets to reduce its call waiting times.

"We are in discussions with the new minster as to what their views are on that particular issue and to get further guidance on that," Jackson said.

So BuzzFeed News went to Keenan – who was sworn into the job in December and asked him.

This is the response we got:

"This government is committed to delivering the best possible services to the Australian people," a spokesperson for Keenan said.

"The government has further bolstered the department’s call centre with 250 full-time equivalent roles, increasing overall staff resourcing capability.

"Through our major transformation program we’re making it easier for people to complete most of their interactions with the department online without having to call."

But nothing on whether reducing call wait times was on his to-do list.