This interim Budget was at its core simply a vehicle for the Government to bide time — a repeat of what we saw in May — but this time with a thinly veiled warning of the need to find savings and efficiencies.
TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone, said the Tasmanian community services industry remained concerned about the ability to meet the increasing level of need in the community, with the Treasurer intent on reducing expenditure.
“We remain concerned at the level of debt we are taking on to fund infrastructure projects that could be deferred and the impact this has on the amount of funding available to deliver essential services to Tasmanians,” said Ms Picone.
“This comes amid new research that finds one-in-seven Tasmanians are living in poverty, along with rising levels of housing stress and energy unaffordability.
“Community services represent a small fraction of the state’s total budget, but this investment prevents the need for higher expenditure across other portfolios, such as health, justice and education.
“As we look to the budget next year, we urge the Treasurer to take a balanced approach to budget repair by considering a mix of revenue raising and targeted investment that prevents costly crises, not through cuts that guarantee them.
“Community services are not a nice to have. Government expenditure should be prioritised to delivering essential services and supports to Tasmanians that will enable them to fully participate in our economy.”