TasCOSS today unveiled its 2025 Federal Election: TasCOSS Priorities, which calls on all candidates and parties to commit to evidence-informed recommendations that, if enacted, will reduce poverty and inequality.
TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone, said 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.
“The cost of living is the number one issue in the country and this election should focus on addressing these pressures in the long-term,” Ms Picone said
“Family budgets are as tight as they’ve ever been. Crippling financial pressure is causing immense anxiety, and mere survival has become the norm.
“We need a government willing to be brave, to put forward a clear policy agenda which demonstrates a commitment to meaningful structural reform. Glib promises and wafer-thin slogans won’t cut it.”
“Successive governments have ignored calls from across the public and private sector, including most recently the Albanese Government’s own Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, to deliver a meaningful uplift to our social security safety net. The attitude towards those doing it tough on income support, that they are somehow less deserving, needs to change.
“We call on the next federal government to raise working age payments in line with the Pension rate, to at least $82 a day, to lift Tasmanians out of poverty.
“Tasmanians need a government committed to substantial investment in affordable housing, with families facing a perfect storm of rising rental prices, extremely low rental vacancy rates, and poorly insulated and energy inefficient homes.
“For too long, governments of all persuasions have neglected to take action on the digital divide, which now places an added impetus on our leaders to step up and work with Tasmanian communities to improve digital skills, access and affordability, so all Tasmanians can access the benefits of the online world.”
The 2025 Federal Election: TasCOSS Priorities outlines five key areas for action, namely the inadequacy of income support, affordable housing and homelessness support, closing the digital divide, community services sustainability, and taxation reform. These priorities reflect the expertise of our members, advocates and the lived experiences of Tasmanians.