Delivered at the TasCOSS Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 30 October 2024, Hobart.
I would like to begin by acknowledging the palawa people as the traditional custodians of the land we’re meeting on today throughout lutruwita and the muwinina people as the traditional custodians of the land where I am, in nipaluna (Hobart).
Putiya makara wingani (can’t stop feeling) by Greg Lehman who is a descendent of the trawulwuy people of north east Tasmania:
“There is a mountain in whose shadow I dwell. One of her old names is kunanyi. She shelters us from the cold south westerly winds that surge up from the Great Southern Ocean to lash our island lutruwita. She sucks moisture from these winds, which flows from her breasts, across her reclining form and cascades down through the forests and grasslands of her foothills, carving out gullies from the ancient rocks of a distant volcanic past, and dancing through a thousand waterfalls on its way to quench my thirst. Mangana the black cockatoo announces when the wind and rain is coming. He lives amongst kunanyi’s forest cloak and shows himself as a messenger when the distractions of the contemporary world threaten my wingani.
I pay my respect to their Elders past and present and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, seas, skies and waterways of lutruwita (Tasmania). I would also like to acknowledge any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are here with us today.
I also thank and acknowledge everyone working and volunteering in the community services industry as we work together to support all Tasmanians to live a good life and enrich our state’s social, cultural and economic wellbeing.
Welcome to the TasCOSS AGM, my name is Georgie Ibbott and it is my pleasure as President to provide an update on the work of the TasCOSS team, the board and most importantly our members.
Welcome to the elected members here in the room and joining us via the livestream, and thank you for the support and representation you’ve provided.
Welcome, most importantly, to all of our valued members. Thank you for joining us to reflect on and celebrate what has been achieved over the past 12 months.
In 2023/24, we have continued to work with integrity and compassion to advocate for Tasmanians affected by poverty, disadvantage and inequality. Our voice is amplified by our partners, the community services industry, as well as by our work with state and federal government departments, local government, and our national COSS network.
TasCOSS, in partnership with Workforce Coordination Project partners, launched the Work with Purpose campaign in September 2023. The Work with Purpose website features 12 real life Tasmanian stories highlighting the meaning, inspiration and reality of work people do in community services. A highlight of the campaign was the Work with Purpose Photographic Exhibition launch and subsequent statewide roadshow.
Over the last four years, the Workforce Coordination Project has laid the foundations to ensure the industry has the skilled and diverse workforce necessary for the delivery of flexible and responsive services into the future.
I’d like to say a few thank yous on this project, which is finishing up later this year. Firstly, thank you to the Workforce Coalition Network members, project partners, and stakeholders for the mountain of work you’ve contributed.
The biggest thank you is reserved for the Workforce Ready Team. Thanks to Project Manager, Sue Howard, and to the team, namely Dr Lauren McGrow, Kerrie Hansen, Mary Langdon, Jess Dallas, Mark Burbury and Leah Cleary. Also, thanks to former Project Manager, Claudia Butler, and former Workforce Ready Team member, Amanda Bergmann.
Another highlight was the TasCOSS Conference 2023: People and Place, which proved a tremendous success, with 180 conference delegates joining us over a rich and engaging two day event. Key conference topics included people leadership, place-based, community-led change, industry and workforce sustainability, and lived experience advocacy.
Building the governance capacity of volunteer board directors within the community services industry has also been a priority of TasCOSS, noting 95% of boards of governance in Tasmania are run by volunteers, and there is a widely acknowledged lack of resources available to support improved governance practices and accountability. To help address this need, TasCOSS and the University of Tasmania co-designed a pilot Gamechangers in Governance short course. The course, which is split into two governance streams, is aimed at current and aspiring board members and senior management. Importantly, Gamechangers in Governance is provided at low-cost to maximise reach and reduce a key barrier to participation. Both streams were well subscribed, with 38 students enrolled in Stream 1 and 40 in Stream 2.
TasCOSS also continued to expand our impact and reach by engaging with our communities in regional areas via the TasCOSS Regional Emerging Issues Forums, listening to community and hearing about the issues that are affecting them. This is in addition to our long-standing successful events, such as the statewide conference, the Premier’s networking event, the Tasmanian state budget briefing, regional networking events, and our suite of training programs, including Change Your Impact and the Community Services Leadership Course.
The financial year also saw a Tasmanian State Election, where TasCOSS worked hard to amplify the needs of the community and our industry. To assist this, TasCOSS developed election asks focussed on policy solutions and investments across six key areas that would, if enacted, provide Tasmanians with much-needed, targeted cost of living relief, and ensure a well-resourced community services industry.
Our lobbying and advocacy efforts resulted in many announcements made during the campaign by the parties, which will benefit organisations, communities and households. But, we still have a long way to go.
Importantly, though, we were able to shift the dial in the right direction on indexation and we were pleased to see announcements from both major parties around community services industry funding over the short- to medium-term. We will continue to advocate for funding for the community services industry so Tasmanians can get the help they need, when they need it. There is much work ahead of us on industry sustainability and this continues to be a key priority for TasCOSS.
On the topic of policy, TasCOSS had a productive year, with 27 policy submissions aimed at making a difference to the lives of Tasmanians, along with countless stakeholder meetings, briefings, and forums, as well as the continuation of the successful Policy Conversations series with members. It is at this point, I’d like to make mention of outgoing Deputy CEO, Dr Charlie Burton, who has left his mark on almost all of our work in the policy space. Charlie has been an integral part of TasCOSS over the last seven-and-a-half years, and his depth of knowledge will be sorely missed. Charlie was also up for a challenge, stepping-up to the role of Acting CEO on a few occasions with integrity and compassion. On behalf of the board, thank you Charlie for your contribution to TasCOSS and the community services industry.
We are pleased to report that the FindHelpTAS site logged 54,000 new users and 65,000 total sessions over the financial year. This demonstrates the level of need in the community and the important role FindHelpTAS plays in connecting individuals to the services they need.
It has been a year of growth for FindHelpTAS, Tasmania’s largest and most up-to-date online directory of community services. FindHelpTAS is governed by a group of community service industry partners who contribute an equal financial amount annually to manage and maintain the directory. It is a unique co-operative model of ownership that we are very proud of. Our current partners are: Hobart City Mission, CatholicCare, Uniting, Mission Australia, Relationships Australia; Baptcare; Anglicare, with TasCOSS as the auspicing agency. FindHelpTAS is currently seeking expressions of interest for new governance partners. Please get in touch with Adrienne or Bronwyn if you are interested in contributing to this vital community resource.
TasCOSS are the managers for the state-funded project to investigate the establishment of a Family and Sexual Violence Alliance Peak Body. A significant achievement was the briefing provided by Family and Sexual Violence Alliance Steering Committee members to Members of Parliament in December 2023 on the Government’s response to the Commission of Inquiry Final Report. This project is progressing well, and the Alliance is preparing to sign an independent grant agreement with the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the coming weeks.
TasCOSS is a key partner for the Commission of Inquiry Reform Implementation Project. We have been asked to consider how the Tasmanian Government can improve its engagement with the community services industry and the community more broadly to enhance its consultation on reform opportunities relating to the Commission of Inquiry recommendations and child sexual abuse. This project is progressing well, and TasCOSS has tabled a series of recommendations to the Government for consideration, along with submissions on bills and legislation in the child safety space. The project team has also consulted with organisations working with children, so they can better support children and young people.
This year, the board, with the support of the broader team, undertook a review of the TasCOSS Strategic Plan (2021-26) to ensure it remained aligned to our Values and Mission. Pleasingly, it was largely a matter of refining our objectives, noting the increased focus on industry collaboration and sustainability, fostering connection and building and supporting the work of the industry to contribute to transformative change.
I’m excited to see what the year ahead holds for TasCOSS, noting significant work already underway around the Tasmanian state budget community consultation, key advocacy projects and campaigns in the industry sustainability and housing space, and a federal election in the wind for early-mid next year.