A sold out delegation of over 180 leaders, industry experts, practitioners and supporters of the Tasmanian community services industry will gather in Hobart for the TasCOSS Conference 2023 over the next two days. Together, we will explore broad trends impacting the industry including workforce development and sustainability, lived experience advocacy and community-led, place-based practice.

TasCOSS is pleased to see the Legislative Council’s Inquiry into Energy Prices in Tasmania, given the supply of energy is an essential service but its cost is unaffordable for more and more Tasmanian households.

Ahead of tomorrow’s National Cabinet meeting (16 August), TasCOSS and the broader COSS Network call on state and federal governments to step-up and take significant action to address the rental crisis that is hitting many Tasmanians hard.

The release of 2023 Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) has revealed Tasmania is once again taking home the undesirable title of most digitally disadvantaged state in the country for the sixth time since 2016.

TasCOSS, along with key organisations involved in the delivery of services to children and young people, strongly support the Memorandum of Advice issued by the Commissioner for Children and Young People (CCYP) Tasmania today which calls on the Tasmanian Government to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Tasmania to at least 14, among other welcome recommendations.

Tasmanians have been bracing themselves for another large increase in electricity prices following the 11.8% increase in prices last year, and the announcement of a 9.51% increase from 1 July will be the final straw for many household budgets already at breaking point.

TasCOSS welcomes the funding injection of $200,000 from Aurora Energy for the Energy Hardship Fund, which will directly help Tasmanians who are struggling to pay their energy bills.

Minister for Energy, Guy Barnett, has today acknowledged that he reported incorrect data when he claimed that energy debt in Tasmania ‘has nearly halved’ in Budget Estimates earlier this week.