Key Points

A Dean Winter Labor Government will work in partnership with the community services industry to futureproof the provision of essential community services to Tasmanians without the yearly threat of cancellation.

Labor acknowledges that Tasmanians would be far worse off without the essential services provided by the sector. 

A Labor Government will:

• Transition to 5-year funding agreements as a priority in 2025-26
  Put an end to the last-minute confirmation of funding agreements
• Establish a Premier’s Community Services Partnership Agreement to work together collaboratively with the industry
• Set on-time, on-budget delivery of infrastructure projects as a KPI of all Department Secretaries and government business CEOs
• Ban bonuses for Government business executives who fail to deliver
• Establish an on-time, on-budget infrastructure oversight team.

Why we need it

The community services industry deserves better.

Under 11 years of Liberal Government, the community services sector has been subjected to broken promises, inconsistent funding and a lack of certainty year-to-year. 

Ad hoc funding agreements have prevented organisations from the long-term planning needed to ensure continuity of care for Tasmanians.

Agreements have been confirmed at the last minute, leading to even more uncertainty and inhibiting the retention of a dedicated and skilled workforce.

There is a lack of collaboration across government departments, and this scattergun approach has resulted in a large coordination impost for community sector organisations.

“We need to fix this mess once and for all and re-set the relationship the government has with the community sector.”

The details

A Dean Winter Labor Government will:

1. Support the transition to five-year funding agreements and prioritise the transition to these agreements in 2025-26, so that community organisations can deliver continuity of care to Tasmanians and invest in their long-term wellbeing without the threat of cancellation. 
2. Where contracts are scheduled to end, Labor will ensure that decisions about extending them are made at least six months before they are to end. 
3. Establish a Premier’s Community Services Partnership Agreement to work together collaboratively, to increase the sustainability, effectiveness and capacity of the community services industry and futureproof the delivery of services to Tasmanians.
   Under a Dean Winter Labor Government, the Premier would meet quarterly with representatives from the sector alongside the Minister for Community Services.
4. Provide $150,000 to enable TasCOSS, in partnership with the peaks, to support sustainability, efficiency and governance activities and to inform the work that will be undertaken through the partnership agreement.