TasCOSS Annual Report 2024/25: President’s Report

Good afternoon, my name is Georgie Ibbott and it is my pleasure as President of the Tasmanian Council of Social Service to welcome you to the 2025 Annual General Meeting. Thank you for coming, both to those our members and guests in the room and those joining us online.

I would like to acknowledge the Muwinina people, the traditional custodians of the land here in Nipaluna, who did not survive colonisation. We remember their courage and loss, and honour their place in this country’s story.

I pay my respects to the Palawa people, the First People’s of Lutruwita/Tasmania, and thank them for their ongoing care of lands, seas, skies, waterways, plants, animals and people. I extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with us today.

The Palawa people remind us that country owns us — that we cannot own country. Their deep cultural and spiritual connections to country endure, and we are privileged to live and work in this place we call home. Connection to country is universal. For me, it is felt most strongly along the south‑west and east coast waterways, and in the bush on the east coast of Lutruwita — this is where I feel calm, deeply connected and at my best — a place of peace, connection and belonging.

As we begin today, I invite us all to open our minds, open our eyes, open our ears and open our hearts — to listen, to learn and to walk with respect for country and for each other.

I also thank and acknowledge everyone working and volunteering in the community services industry as we work together to support all Tasmanians and enrich our state’s social, cultural and economic wellbeing.

Welcome to the TasCOSS Annual General Meeting, it is my pleasure as President to provide an update on the work of the TasCOSS team, the board and most importantly our valued 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.

Special welcome to TasCOSS Life Member, Kath McLean, who is with us today.

Thank you for joining us to reflect on and celebrate what has been achieved over the past 12 months.

I’m proud to present the President’s Report for the 2024/25 Financial Year. I want to begin by thanking our members for your extraordinary work — a year marked by significant challenges and genuine progress for our industry and our communities. TasCOSS exists to make Tasmania fairer: to ensure every person has the opportunity to live with dignity, security and hope. We do this by supporting our community services industry, amplifying lived experience, and speaking up for those whose voices too often go unheard.

This has been one of the most complex years in recent memory. Families across Tasmania are feeling the pressure of rising costs, with energy, rent and groceries climbing faster than wages. We have seen growing strain on our workforce and a housing system stretched beyond capacity. Yet amid these pressures, our industry has remained a steady, solutions‑focussed voice — convening stakeholders, providing clear evidence and advocating for change.

One of the brightest achievements this year is our new industry development offering, the Changemakers Program. Responding to the demand for values‑driven social change, the program brought together 20 early‑career professionals from across preventive health, multicultural services, community support, housing and homelessness, and mental health. Running from May to October 2025, it provided a comprehensive understanding of Tasmania’s community services landscape and was anchored in inclusion, equity, systems‑thinking and social change — recognising the challenges and opportunities unique to our context. Our 2025 cohort is inspiring, and demonstrates that change doesn’t just happen to communities — it happens through them.

Housing remains the most urgent issue facing Tasmanians, and our State of Housing Dashboard has become a cornerstone of TasCOSS’s advocacy. This interactive tool tracks key data — rental affordability, social housing waitlists and progress toward government targets — ensuring our advocacy reflects the state of play and that information is accessible to the public. Crucially, the Dashboard doesn’t only highlight problems; it helps shape solutions. It equips policymakers, journalists and community organisations with the facts they need to advocate with confidence, and we will continue to build on it with our housing stakeholder reference group.

Another major strength has been our work has been the formation of the Tasmanian Coalition of Community Services Peaks earlier this year. Sixteen peak bodies came together to urge the government to ‘Prioritise all Tasmanians’ and to commit to a sustainable industry now and for the future. While there is more to do, all three major parties indicated support for five year funding agreements with accelerated timelines. The Labor and Liberal parties also committed to a partnership agreement with the industry and signalled support for an industry sustainability program, which we are now progressing. This Coalition is a clear example of our industry collaborating with greater efficiency, power and sustainability.

As part of TasCOSS’s change‑lead role around the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings, we have focussed on strengthening engagement with community services, supporting legislative and policy reform, and ensuring children are safe, heard and protected. Culture and system change are vital here, and we are in the early stages of developing an awareness and engagement campaign with key stakeholders.

For more detail on our activities, please read the Annual Report on your seats or visit the TasCOSS website. Looking ahead, we will build on this year’s strong foundations and partnerships, empowering others in our dual role as influencer and convener. Strong relationships across and beyond our industry not only strengthen advocacy, they move us closer to our shared vision: a Tasmania where everyone has the opportunity to live a good life.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to:

• Adrienne and the outstanding TasCOSS staff team. The achievements we celebrate today are a direct reflection of your capability, integrity and commitment. Time and again, you demonstrate not only professionalism and hard work, but also creativity, courage and care. It is your insight, your persistence and your values that give TasCOSS its strength and credibility. I am continually inspired by the way you approach challenges with integrity, collaborate with generosity and keep Tasmanians at the heart of everything you do. The progress we have made this year — from new programs to stronger advocacy and industry leadership — is possible only because of you.
• My fellow TasCOSS Board Directors for your leadership, integrity and support, and the ongoing hours you put in for the betterment of TasCOSS.
• And, of course, our members, who are the lifeblood of the community industry.

Thank you.