'Hang in there': Beautiful messages left for Centrelink staff in random act of kindness

A good samaritan has lifted the spirits of Centrelink workers in Queensland, leaving beautiful messages for staff members to see as they arrived to work this week.

Melissa Donnelly, National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, shared one of the messages on Twitter, left outside a Centrelink office in Townsville that read “Thanks for all your work”.

“All Centrelink workers are doing their best to help you as quickly as possible - please be patient and respectful,” Melissa added.

“This absolutely made my day walking into work this morning,” one staff member responded to the Tweet.

While others shared their messages of support as well.

“This is lovely. Centrelink workers didn’t make this mess and they are trying to sort it out. Be patient please and use your manners,” was one comment.

“Wonderful thoughts. Australians know it is not the staff, that they are doing their best,” another added.

Other images were then also shared online including messages that read “Hang in there”, “Centrelink rocks”, and “smile you are important”.

At another Centrelink office in Darebin, Victoria, similar messages were left for staff in colourful chalk.

“You’re doing a great job,” one note a the front entrance read.

Thousands queue at Centrelink amid coronavirus pandemic

Centrelink offices across Australia were flooded with queues this week of small business owners and the newly unemployed or stood down seeking to sign up for coronavirus supplement payments introduced by the Prime Minister.

By Tuesday, the Community Public Sector Union called on the government to protect Centrelink staff in this “distressing” time.

“It was a distressing day for those thousands of people lining up outside of Centrelink offices, but also distressing day as well for our members working in Centrelink, who are desperately trying to help them,” the CPSU told the ABC.

“On the whole, the feedback I’ve had from our members is that people were patient and understanding, and we respect that and we hope that people continue to be so. But for many of our members, yesterday was the toughest day of their working life, looking at those queues, knowing there were thousands of Australians in desperate need of help and not being able to get to them.”

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