MEDIA RELEASE

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
ALEXANDER DOWNER

23 June 1999

Re-Location Of Passport Information Service Call Centre

The Government has decided to re-locate the Australian Passport Information Service Call Centre to Tasmania when the current contract expires in July 2000. In calling tenders for a new contract, emphasis will be placed on attracting expressions of interest from companies intending to locate the centre where staff stability will maintain high levels of training and keep staff turnover down. The Call Centre is expected to employ up to 24 consultants.

The Australian Passport Information Service (APIS) is a national telephone service, currently operated through a contract with Telstra. It receives more than a million calls annually. Consultants handling enquiries have access to the Passport Issue and Control System (PICS), enabling them to provide callers with specific information on the status of their passport applications. An interactive voice recognition (IVR) system was introduced in 1997 to handle an increasing number of calls and to provide clients with swifter access to passport information.

The APIS call centre is currently located in Canberra and costs approximately $3 million per annum to run.