The Federal Election has been called for Saturday 3 May 2025 and campaigning is in full swing. It is TasCOSS’s aim to ensure the voices of Tasmanians — our needs and hopes for the future — are heard by the candidates, parties and constituents in the lead up to polling day.
All Tasmanians should be able to live a good life, but the reality for most is that affording the basics, buying or renting a secure and healthy home, and fully participating in our digital economy are now further out of reach.
Tasmanians battling a cost of living crisis are becoming increasingly anxious about their future and demanding action. Addressing the barriers to living a good life and investing in individual and community wellbeing will lift the capacity of our communities to participate in and contribute meaningfully to our economy and society.
This federal election, TasCOSS is calling on all candidates and parties to commit to our priorities that, if enacted, will reduce poverty and inequality. The federal government must use its resources to address the hardship Tasmanians are facing and build a fairer and more sustainable future for all.
The 2025 Federal Election: TasCOSS Priorities (PDF, 5.87MB) outlines five key areas for action, which reflect the expertise of our members, advocates and the lived experiences of Tasmanians.
- Raise the Rate of Income Support
- More Affordable Housing and Addressing Homelessness
- Close the Digital Divide
- Quality Community Services to Help Tasmanians in Need
- A Fairer Taxation System
Our national peak, ACOSS, has also released its 2025 Federal Election: Policy Priorities (PDF, 3.82MB), which urges all political parties and candidates to commit to a bold, people-centred policy agenda, which includes not only urgent investment in social security, but also in housing, employment, climate action and disaster resilience.
We would welcome your support of the proposed initiatives and invite you to also share your organisation’s 2025 Federal Election priorities with us. You can do this by sending us your platform or areas of focus via email. We hope this will lead to opportunities for shared advocacy during the campaign.
TasCOSS has prepared an Advocacy Toolkit for Organisations and Individuals (PDF, 136KB), which has been updated for the 2025 Federal Election. This resource covers a range of lobbying activities you can engage in individually or on behalf of your organisation to influence candidates and political parties.
Priority Areas and Recommendations:
Raise the Rate of Income Support
- TasCOSS is calling for all income support payments to be raised to at least the Pension rate ($82 a day) so everyone can afford the basics.
More Affordable Housing and Addressing Homelessness
- Substantially invest in social housing to meet need with a clear pathway towards social housing comprising 10% of all housing stock.
- Increase investment in homelessness services by $670m per year so that no one is turned away, plus additional funds to establish a Homelessness Prevention Transformation Fund for targeted prevention and early intervention for those at high or imminent risk of homelessness.
- Provide substantial funding to accelerate home energy efficiency upgrades for all low income housing and support state and territory governments to implement mandatory energy performance standards for rental properties.
Close the Digital Divide
- Establish a regional infrastructure fund to support greater regional and rural access to reliable, high-speed internet and mobile phone coverage.
- Develop a low-cost broadband product for low income households and expand the School Student Broadband Initiative beyond school age to include other priority groups.
- Fund investment in digital skills programs to support priority groups at greater risk of being left behind, including people who have low literacy and numeracy skills.
- Fund initiatives to build awareness of scams, cyber security and artificial intelligence into community digital literacy programs.
Quality Community Services to Help Tasmanians in Need
- End the chronic under-funding of community service organisations by developing a better funding and grants management model to ensure their long-term viability and ability to meet need, in line with initiatives in the national Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint.
- Boost funding to emergency relief and essential crisis-response services such as family and domestic violence, community legal services, financial counselling, food and emergency relief, and homelessness services, so they are not forced to turn away anyone in distress.
- Ensure proper funding of peak bodies and advocacy organisations, as outlined in the national Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint.
A Fairer Taxation System
- Introduce reforms to halve the Capital Gains Tax discount for investment properties phased in over five years and limit negative gearing deductions to income from the same asset class for all new investment properties.
- Increase public revenue through more effectively levying taxes according to people’s ability to pay, to fund investment in essential services, safety nets and supports for those most in need.