TasCOSS was pleased to join with members and supporters of the community services industry in Burnie last week to pay tribute to the many invaluable contributions of TasCOSS’s outgoing Board President, Alex McKenzie, who has been in the role since 2019.

The Tasmanian Electoral Commission has completed the count and declared the elected candidates (35 members) following the 2024 Tasmanian State Election.

The provisional election result, which indicates a shift away from the major parties and a expanded crossbench, is indicative of a failure of the major parties to adequately address the real issues that matter to Tasmanians, those being cost of living, health and housing.

With polling day this Saturday, I’d firstly like to acknowledge the powerful advocacy from right across the community services industry in calling for better outcomes for the many, diverse organisations and service types which make up our industry, and the thousands of Tasmanians who rely on our services.

TasCOSS is pleased to see Tasmanian Labor acknowledge the essential role our industry plays by pledging that funding to community services won’t be cut over the next 12 months should they win government.

As cost of living pressures continue to drive increasing community demand, TasCOSS has welcomed a raft of targeted announcements by both major parties made at this week’s 2024 Tasmanian State Election: Community Services Industry Forum.

Tasmania’s community services are reeling from the Tasmanian Labor and Liberal election promises of cuts to industry indexation, putting the delivery of essential services to Tasmanians in need at risk.

A network of 24 community service organisations and advocates for pokies reform has united to seek commitments from parties and candidates to make poker machines safer for all consumers by fully implementing the universal, pre-commitment card and the introduction of safer machine design features, such as $1 bet limits and slower spin speeds.