Get to know TasCOSS Board Vice President, Dr Lisa Denny, and learn more about what motivates her involvement with TasCOSS and the community services industry.
Lisa shares why she joined the TasCOSS Board back in 2023, the personal experiences that shape her commitment to the industry, and her perspective on the challenges and opportunities ahead. She also reflects on the important role TasCOSS Members play in strengthening our collective voice and helping build a thriving Tasmania.
What inspired you to join the TasCOSS Board?
As a demographer with a deep understanding of the implications of population change into the future, I believe the community services industry provides solutions to many of the challenges we are already experiencing in Tasmania.
TasCOSS is the leading voice of the community services industry and for Tasmanians experiencing hardship. I put my hand up to join the TasCOSS Board so I could contribute more fully to the community services industry and to the people of Tasmania who need their voices heard and support to overcome the hurdles and barriers they may be experiencing, including poverty and disadvantage.
The thing is, we don’t live in an economy; we live in a society. If our society isn’t functioning well and Tasmanians aren’t able to participate fully in life, then our economy won’t thrive or prosper either.
I don’t think people outside the community services industry fully understand the work we do to enable Tasmanians to overcome challenges and participate in community life and the economy.
I also fundamentally believe in human rights. Unfortunately, many Tasmanians do not have access to or enjoy basic freedoms and life necessities, such as safety, education, housing and health care. TasCOSS champions human rights for all Tasmanians without unfair treatment or discrimination.
I’m committed to raising the profile of the community services industry and highlighting its value to the Tasmanian way of life.
What does the organisation and its work mean to you personally?
Life is increasingly complex for people in the 21st century and it can be hard at times. There seem to be more hurdles and barriers that people need to overcome to feel well and participate fully in life. Some Tasmanians don’t know life without these barriers.
Often, it’s difficult to overcome them without help and support from the community services industry. I experienced the importance of that support every day as the mum of a son with complex communication disabilities, and I worry every day about his future in the absence of an effective community services industry.
TasCOSS provides unwavering leadership and a voice for Tasmanians in need.
It is often said, and assumed, that the community services industry is selfless, but the reality is that we all benefit from a strong and valued community services industry. Individuals, families, businesses and government all benefit, economically and socially.
That isn’t understood well enough by those outside the community services industry.
What is the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge you see for the community services industry?
The biggest opportunity for TasCOSS and the community services industry is to lead and support the redesign of services, systems and structures that support Tasmanians to overcome barriers to fully participating in life, while working to eradicate entrenched disadvantage for future generations of Tasmanians.
The biggest challenge is being unable to achieve this transformation because those outside the industry don’t fully understand the value and contribution of the community services industry to Tasmania, both socially and economically.
What would you say to someone considering becoming a TasCOSS Member?
TasCOSS provides a collective voice for the community services industry and Tasmanians experiencing hardship, including poverty and disadvantage.
The work we do at TasCOSS is informed by our members. If you work in the community services industry, or aspire to see a thriving Tasmania supported by a strong community services industry working to eliminate poverty and improve economic and social outcomes for all Tasmanians, then join TasCOSS and be part of that collective voice.