A coalition of Tasmanian community service peak organisations has called on the incoming state government to build a strong partnership with the state’s community services industry to ensure no Tasmanian misses out on essential supports.
The industry coalition has launched a campaign in the lead up to the 2025 Tasmanian Election calling on candidates and parties to ‘Prioritise all Tasmanians’ and articulate how they will, if elected, build a sustainable community services industry to meet the current and future needs of all Tasmanians.
TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone, said it was critical all Tasmanians had what they needed to thrive.
“Our industry delivers essential services to Tasmanians in need,” Ms Picone said.
“Essential services, such as emergency food relief, domestic, family and sexual violence support, children and family services, mental health assistance, and services that support people experiencing homelessness.
“Tasmanians are hurting in this cost of living crisis and every day we see the pain being experienced.
“They are worried about housing, health and education, and costs associated with rent, energy, transport and food, and their general wellbeing is under threat.
“But this is about more than just Tasmanians doing it tough — we want to ensure that all Tasmanians have what they need on the ground.
“If any government is serious about trying to improve outcomes, the community service industry is the most important partner. We are talking about an investment in wellbeing and preventing more Tasmanians seeking acute and crisis services.”
Ms Picone said the industry was seeking commitments from all political leaders to appropriately resource Tasmania’s community services system under a fairer funding model — one that guarantees five year funding contracts, with at least six months notice of contract renewals, and ensures an indexation rate that covers the true cost of running these essential services.
“Working in partnership is the key,” she said. “By working together, the industry can collectively support Tasmanians, retain our staff who deserve secure employment, and have certainty to make longer-term decisions that deliver better value for money.
“We are calling for a serious commitment to resetting the relationship with our industry, through a Partnership Agreement based on mutual respect and collaboration.”
The community services industry is central to building the resilience of Tasmanians and the communities in which they live and work. It is the largest and fastest growing industry in Tasmania — its 28,000 highly skilled workers and 46,000 volunteers work hard every day to support Tasmanians, and in doing so add $1.9 billion annually to the state’s economy.
The coalition includes Tasmanian Council of Social Service, Mental Health Council Tasmania, Council on the Ageing (COTA) Tasmania, Shelter Tasmania, Youth Network of Tasmania, Neighbourhood Houses Tasmania, Volunteering Tasmania, Carers Tasmania, Multicultural Council of Tasmania, Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCCPA, Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council (ATDC) Tasmania, National Disability Services Tasmania, Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) — Tasmania Branch, Tasmanian Family and Sexual Violence Alliance, Health Consumers Tasmania, Palliative Care Tasmania and Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations (TASSO).
For more information, please visit tascoss.org.au/coalition-of-community-service-peaks.