Tasmanian Coalition of Community Service Peaks Campaign

The Tasmanian Coalition of Community Service Peaks ‘(the Peaks Coalition)’ brings together peak bodies from across Tasmania’s community services industry to strengthen the industry’s collective voice, share intelligence and act on industry-wide issues.

The Peaks Coalition is grounded in a shared belief that Tasmania’s community services industry is stronger when peak bodies work together. It provides a trusted structure for collaboration, while recognising that each member organisation retains its own governance, mandate and independent advocacy role.

Purpose

The Peaks Coalition exists to strengthen the Tasmanian community services industry’s collective influence, sustainability and capacity to act on shared issues.

Its shared functions are:

• Collective advocacy on industry-wide and state-level sustainability issues;
• Shared intelligence between peak bodies;
• Stronger relationships across the industry;
• A coherent and credible interface with government; and
• Increased visibility of the community services industry and the peak bodies that represent it.

How the Peaks Coalition Works

The Peaks Coalition operates across three tiers:

• Peaks Coalition — An open platform for all member peaks to share information, build relationships, provide peer support and develop industry-wide intelligence.
• Strategy Circle — An opt-in group of peaks working more closely on collective advocacy, joint messaging, campaign planning, resource coordination where appropriate, industry sustainability and a Partnership Agreement with the Tasmanian Government.
• Communities of Practice — Opt-in functional groups for staff across peaks working in similar areas, such as policy, communications and industry development.

TasCOSS serves as the Coalition’s convening and backbone organisation, coordinating meetings, records, communication and onboarding.

Principles

Peaks Coalition members are guided by:

• Clarity of purpose;
• Transparency;
• Equity;
• Respect for difference;
• Shared benefit; and
• Active participation.

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Tasmania’s Coalition of Community Service Peaks have joined together in an unprecedented show of unity, launching a coordinated campaign urging the Government to deliver the increased funding and long-term investment needed to protect the wellbeing of all Tasmanians.

The Peaks Coalition — a united group of community services peak bodies, representing an industry that employs more than 28,000 workers and more than 46,000 (formal) volunteers across the state — warned chronic underfunding, growing demand, rising costs and workforce burnout were undermining the industry’s ability to safeguard the community.

To-date, more than 1,200 Tasmanians have signed an open letter calling on the Tasmanian Government to commit to long-term funding certainty for community services, with the open letter tabled in Parliament by Independent Member for Clark, Kristie Johnston MP. The open letter, addressed to Premier, Jeremy Rockliff, and Treasurer, Eric Abetz, amid growing pressure on community service organisations facing rising demand, workforce challenges and short-term funding cycles.

On Thursday 21 May 2026, Treasurer, the Hon Eric Abetz MP, handed down the 2026/27 Tasmanian Budget. The Peaks Coalition is deeply concerned by projected reductions in the Community Services output group expenditure over the Forward Estimates, with funding forecast to decline by 13.6%, compared to last year’s budget.

This creates serious uncertainty about the industry’s future capacity to respond to growing demand. TasCOSS will be seeking further detail from the Minister for Community and Multicultural Affairs about where these reductions will occur and what they mean for services and workforce capacity.

Importantly, there has also been some positive progress, including the first phase of longer-term (five year) funding contracts, movement toward a partnership agreement with the Peaks Coalition, and a commitment to review current indexation rates.

Given increasing workforce and operational costs across the industry, TasCOSS is calling for the indexation review to be brought forward and to deliver a transparent, evidence-based indexation formula that reflects the true cost of delivering community services.

Our industry adds $1.9 billion to the Tasmanian economy each year, and every million dollars invested generates 17 new jobs, delivering critical support into communities in every corner of the state.

Every job in our industry delivers a double impact, employing people in community services, as well as unlocking economic participation for countless others through the support those workers deliver.

When these services can’t cope, Tasmanians waiting for essential support feel it first. We don’t just help people in need right at this moment, we safeguard every Tasmanian. Right now, that safety net is under severe strain.

We know investing in preventive, community-based services is not a cost, it is a proven economic strategy that reduces demand on crisis, health and justice systems and saves the state money over the long-term.

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You can show your support for our industry by lobbying your local members, as well as downloading and displaying the campaign branding elements on your social media and other digital platforms. We encourage you to share the Peaks Coalition’s social media posts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

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The Tasmanian Coalition of Community Service Peaks represents the following organisations: