Goodbye to lunchtimes - City Shopfront to close

so now when i renue my gun licence i have to drive from woden to civic to the cop shop then out to butt fuck egypt somewhere to pay for it then back to civic then back home to woden good work fucking wankstains gotta love the canberra pubes

Much obliged Samuel.

The closest one on the Bunda Street side of the Canberra Centre (get off at the Legislative Assembly bus stop, walk through the Canberra Centre, turn right before the traffic lights in the middle of the shopping centre)…there’s also one on the corner of Moore Street and Alinga Street, but it is further away.

Civic Shopfront is great because I can hop on a quick bus there and back in my lunchtime (from Barton). It’s always packed. I’m pretty miffed about this closure.

I am swinging back to paying bills in person when I can, as CPS Credit Union – since their much touted “merger” – are now charging loads of extra fees for online transactions, BPay, Direct Debit etc. Dicko is not nearly as convenient as Civic so I’m pretty miffed about this. I’ll have to find the Civic PO now. Does anyone know where is the nearest one to the Shopfront?!

It appears this stupid system of business loading zone permits is affecting some numbers of people. Whowever is the Minister for loading Zone permits?

Whowever – Bloody well fix it! Why are we treated as stupid childlike minions who are required to traipse through your shopfronts and fill in duplicate forms just to allow your public servants to claim they are providing a FREE service.

Total, time consuming, blood pressure raising bullshit! Whoever you are, you are elected as a servant of the people. Who gave you the power to cause as much agravation as you can to the electors? This system is crap and the sooner you change it to reduce the agro the better!

Because the ACT Government is a strange organisation, and probably would prefer their own unique web standards.

Why would TAMS want to block referrals with a 404 (if at all) SGS?

Anyway, cranky, I’ve gone through exactly the same crap with the ACT Govt for the loading zone permit. It is complete rubbish. That is pretty much the only time I ever need to set foot in a shopfront, other than licence renewals, as I do most other stuff online.

Strangly enough the in the sound grab of Hargraves on the radio this arvo he was saying that the reason for closing it was that hardly anyone takes advantage of the shop-front … strange because every time I’ve been in there I’ve had to wait bloody ages because of the bloodly long queue … reminds me of the letters you get from the bank … “In order to provide a better service to you our values customer, we are reducing the total number of free transactions on your account and doubling the fee charged for transactions in excess of the free ones …” I changed banks – maybe its about time we changed Governments?

My apoligies, I didn’t spot the extra dot in the URL, I retract my statement about TAMS blocking referrals.

I register my (business) station wagon at a cost of about $100 more than private rego. This entitles me to a 10 minute loading zone pass. I pay online, and the rego turns up soon after. But only the rego – no parking permit.

I am required to attend a shopfront (Civic, last 2 times), and fill in a form – requiring precisely the same information as is included on the rego forms, to enable me to receive my FREE parking permit.

This form HAS to be filled out, and no, the extra cost has absolutely nothing to do with the parking permit. They insist the permit is FREE. And there is no way it can be sent out with the rego papers. You must attend the Shopfront and apply.

Crap!

Make that the entire Registrar General’s Office that are moving to Fyshwick, including Land Titles.

The URL is valid, it looks like TAMS are blocking access with a phony 404 not found message for referrals from websites outside TAMS.

The bit of the press release which relates to this post reads as follows:

Mr Hargreaves said that a review had also been done into ACT Government Shopfront services
“Over the past five years, the ACT Government has pursued a strategy through Canberra Connect to
direct customers to more efficient and user-friendly service channels. Options now include Australia
Post payment facilities which provide a face-to-face service, Bpay, automated phone payments, online
payments, and the Canberra Connect call centre. These service channels have contributed to an
overall reduction in shopfront customer numbers as the community shifts to self-service and other
alternative options. These options provide additional convenience as they are not restricted to normal
business hours. For example, in August 2002 about 65% of transactions were done through Shopfronts
and in August 2006 this was down to approximately 40%.
“As a result of this shift, Civic Shopfront will close on Friday 1 December 2006.”
Mr Hargreaves said that members of the community will be able to use the many alternatives available
(such as Australia Post outlets, Bpay, 13 22 81 or http://www.canberraconnect.act.gov.au) and will still have
access to Dickson Shopfront (which is four kilometres away), as well as Belconnen, Woden and
Tuggeranong Shopfronts which will continue to deliver the full range of services.
“To cater for those in our community who do not have access to the Internet and who shop, work and
live in Civic, the new Civic Library will provide free internet access. Moves are also in progress to
incorporate a limited user-friendly service facility into the Library which would provide driver licence
renewals and some other information services from early-2007.
“Customers visiting Civic Shopfront over the next month will be informed of the service options and of
the alternative payment and information methods.”

As for how to get to the press release, go to the TAMS website on the right under “About our department” is a link to media releases. The press release in question is “Changes to TAMS services” October 26.

Alternatively, I’ve mirrored it on my site.

ACT Revenue will be staying in the Nara Bldg in Civic, they are NOT moving. The counter is being closed as they are moving their services online.

It is the Land Titles office that will be moving to Fyshwick, which I am sure will be a great inconvenience to the Solicitors & Conveyancers.

This is yet another legendary f#*^-ups of this administration – not being able to anticipate the stupidity of people using its internet sites.

Bighead.. when was the last time you saw a file extension as .pdf. ?

Whoever created the link in the RA post made the mistake.. Delete the last . and the link works.

Maybe they don’t want anyone to read it????

funny, the linky aint working

Not Found

The requested URL /__data/assets/pdf_file/39009/changestoTAMSservices.pdf. was not found on this server.

Is there a bit of a story to the pending closure of the ACT Revenue office in Civic? Something about nothing being done about renewing the lease with the Commonwealth? Then being surprised about a notice to quit?

The move to leased premises in Canberra Ave, Fyshwick, will be convenient for legal firms wanting to stamp contracts for property settlements etc, – not!

And is there any truth to the rumour that even the initial move will be temporary accommodation while the expensive fit-out for the eventual office is completed?

The financial fuck-ups of this administration are, and will be, legendary. And there’s more to come.

There is a shopfront in Dickson.

Ground Floor, Dickson Motor Registry
13 – 15 Challis Street
Dickson ACT 2602

“My EBA has long lunches!!!” – JTK

But, yes, it is yet another example of the shit service that the local council provides to the people who pay for it.

Great to see we have a service oriented govt.

Griffith library’s going 🙁

Personally I’d much prefer to transact online than having to stand in a queue along with the great unwashed.

I suppose they are trying to get everybody to make payments online.

Apparently the ACT Revenue counter is closing too, sometime in March 2007.