Commit to rapidly closing the digital divide in Tasmania and improve digital inclusion through a focus on access, affordability and digital ability.
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46%
Tasmanian consumers said the rising cost of living has affected their ability to get online, with one-in-five choosing between paying for internet and other essentials. Source: Good Things Foundation Australia (2023), Australian Attitudes to Getting Online
TasCOSS’s election asks:
- Introduce a telecommunications concession for people on low incomes.
- Double the investment in Digital Ready for Daily Life, prioritising digital skills and literacy programs that support priority groups.
- Ensure all government secondary school students have access to their own devices and data to enable them to do homework and online-schooling.
The information in the table below is gleaned from candidate and party responses and policy announcements during the campaign. Neither the Liberal or Labor parties chose to formerly respond to TasCOSS’s election platform, however we conducted our own analysis of their publicly available policies. Our election tracker is provided as a guide to inform members, and we encourage you to undertake your own research on candidate and party policy positions. All candidate and party responses received are available in full here:
- Tasmanian Greens
- Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN)
- Kristie Johnston MP (IND, Clark)
- David O’Byrne MP (IND, Franklin)
- John Tucker MP (IND, Lyons)
- Sue Hickey (IND, Clark)
- Tamar Cordover (IND, Franklin)
- Greg (Tubby) Quinn (IND, Bass)
| Party | Headline Announcement(s) | Source/Further Information |
|---|---|---|
| Introduce a telecommunications concession | Liberal — No commitment announced Labor — No commitment announced Greens — No commitment announced Kristie Johnston — Supports a telecommunications concession for people on low incomes | TasCOSS election platform response |
| Double investment in Digital Ready for Daily Life | Liberal — $300,000 to deliver digital inclusion initiatives for older Tasmanians Labor — Increase funding for Online Access Centres by 275% to $1.5 million per year Greens — Strongly support a sustained investment in digital inclusion Kristie Johnston — Supports doubling the investment in Digital Ready for Daily Life, prioritising digital skills and literacy programs that support priority cohorts Sue Hickey — Supports measures to increase digital inclusion Tamar Cordover — Supports doubling investment in Digital Ready for Daily Life and other strategies that increase digital inclusion, calls for support for Online Access Centres and improved resources for libraries | Liberal policy Labor policy Greens policy announcements TasCOSS election platform responses |
| Devices and data for government secondary school students | Liberal — No commitment announced Labor — No commitment announced Greens — No commitment announced Kristie Johnston — Supports all government secondary school students being provided access to their own devices and data to enable homework and online schooling | TasCOSS election platform responses |
Check out a rundown of commitments in a different policy area: