The Tasmanian Coalition of Community Service Peaks welcome the election promises of the three major political parties.
The coalition of 16 community services originations are buoyed by the support the campaign has received in the form of election commitments, but note there is more work to do. Read the letters of support from the Liberals, Labor and the Greens.
We have said that working in partnership is the key and will continue to advocate for this critical commitment.
The coalition called on an incoming state government to build a strong partnership with the state’s community services industry to ensure no Tasmanian missed out on essential supports. The campaign called on parties and candidates to ‘Prioritise all Tasmanians’ and articulate how they will, if elected, build a sustainable community services industry to meet the current and future needs of all Tasmanians.
Encouragingly, all three major parties indicated support for five year funding agreements and indicated the timeline would be brought forward. The Labor and Liberal parties also committed to a partnership agreement with the industry, with Labor promising to establish a Premier’s Community Services Partnership Agreement.
All three major parties also indicated support for a industry sustainability program, with the Liberals and Labor committing $150,000 for this specific purpose.
There is more work to be done with regard to securing an appropriate and fair indexation approach, underpinned by a formula that reflects the true cost of providing our essential services to Tasmanians in need.
While the Greens committed to ensuring appropriate indexation for community service organisations, we will need to continue to lobby the incoming government to ensure the indexation approach is in keeping with community expectations and the level of need.
By working together, the industry can collectively support Tasmanians, retain our staff who deserve secure employment, and have certainty to make longer-term decisions that deliver better value for money.
Thank you for supporting the campaign to-date and we’ll keep you updated on our progress.
Show your support for the campaign by downloading and displaying the ‘Prioritise all Tasmanians’ resources on your social media and other digital platforms — access the DropBox.
