8 December 2016

, Minister for Human Services

1000 days, 1000 reasons: meeting the needs of Tasmania’s vulnerable

Tomorrow marks 1000 days since the election of the Hodgman Liberal Government. To mark the occasion we will be releasing a list of 1000 reasons why Tasmania is a better place now than it was before the election.

Our long-term plan for a brighter future is delivering positive results, including for the most vulnerable in our community.

We have got the budget back on track which is allowing us to reinvest in essential services neglected under the previous government.  

Today I am releasing over 100 reasons why Tasmania is a better place as a result of the initiatives the Hodgman Government has implemented for vulnerable people.

We are investing over $20 million to redesign the child protection system so it better supports vulnerable children – this includes an extra 31 child safety staff. Our $26 million Family Violence Action Plan has been described as nation leading. We are building over an extra 900 affordable houses and are delivering affordable housing options for 1600 Tasmanians, especially those at risk of homelessness. There is more support for those living with disability and we are lending a helping hand to community organisations around the state.

There is however always more work to be done, major change doesn’t happen overnight. That is why we will continue to implement our long term plan for Tasmania so that the most vulnerable in our community share in the benefits.

1. New $20.6 million investment into child protection – additional funding and blueprint for redesign of child protection to improve lives of vulnerable young people and their families.
2. Child protection information system  upgrade  - to make it easier for staff to do their job.
3. Extra 31 child safety staff – staff to be recruited over next two years as part of re-investment.
4. Reduced vacancies in child protection – removed recruitment barriers and sped up appointments to improve staff retention.
5. Mandatory jail for serious sexual offences against children – legislating for minimum mandatory jail terms for perpetrators who commit serious sexual offences against children.
6. Making it easier for victims of child abuse to seek damages – legislating to abolish limitation period on civil claims for damages for victims of child sexual and physical abuse.
7. No excuses for child sex offenders – legislation preventing an offender’s good character or lack of prior convictions to be taken into account in cases of serious child sex offences.
8. Making children safer – over 36,000 Tasmanians who work with children have had the Working with Vulnerable People check.
9. Stronger oversight – strengthened the role of the Commissioner for Children and Young People, expanded functions, extended powers and tenure and improved independence.
10. Better advocacy for parents – a new advocacy service to support and provide advice to parents and families involved with Child Safety Services.
11. Learning from tragedy – established the State’s first independent process to review Child Death and Serious Injury, bringing Tasmania into line with other States.
12. Protecting vulnerable babies and infants –State’s first Vulnerable Babies & Infants Strategy to improve outcomes and provide earlier oversight of unborn and young babies.
13. Evidence from children – legislating to make it easier for a child victim of family violence to be classified as a special witness to enable video or audio evidence, instead of court appearance.
14. Keeping families together – $220,000 per annum for short-term preventative respite nights across the State, providing 400 respite nights each year, for families in crisis.
15. New support for children with problem sexualised behaviour – $94,000 pilot underway.
16. Additional counselling services for children experiencing family violence – additional $3 million allocated to counselling for children and young people.
17. Family support - $500,000 over four years to the Kentish Family Support Centre to deliver a range of important services to families and the broader community.
18. Ensuring sexual offenders are appropriately sentenced for their crimes – by providing a list of aggravating factors the court must take into account.

1. Breaking the cycle of crime for young people –$600,000 per annum to Save the Children to support young people on bail and to transition from detention.
2. Helping young people at risk into jobs – $100,000 per annum to Whitelion to support up to 220 at risk young people become job-ready or find jobs.
3. Helping young offenders to get back on track – new $1.5 million Back on Track program is a best practice intervention program to lead young offenders aged 18-25 away from crime.
4. Pathways to work for Youth at Risk – $2.6 million as part of $5 million Training and Pathways Program includes targeted help for Youth at Risk, to transition young out of criminal justice system.
5. Ashley Youth Detention Centre – $300,000 for change management process to introduce trauma-informed care and therapeutic model, including training for youth workers.
6. Youth at Risk strategy - $200,000 to develop a contemporary model of youth justice and custodial youth detention in Tasmania.
7. Specialist Youth Justice Courts - $700,000 p.a. for an additional officer to expand the Specialist Youth Justice Court program to the North, focusing on rehabilitation and early intervention.

1. Family Violence Action Plan – Tasmania’s first comprehensive cross-Agency action strategy to combat family violence, the Safe Homes, Safe Families Family Violence Action Plan 2015-2020.
2. Significant increase in family violence funding –an additional $26 million to fund over 19 actions in the Safe Homes, Safe Families  action plan.
3. Established Safe Families Coordination Unit – $8 million flagship of the Action Plan, bringing agencies together to protect families experiencing violence, and hold perpetrators to account.
4. Safe Choices established – early intervention advice and referral for those wanting to exit violent relationships.
5. Changing attitudes – funding support for the national campaign “Let’s stop it at the start” to reduce violence against women and their children.
6. Drive change in our workplaces – rolling out White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation Program across Government agencies, three agencies now accredited.
7. Family Violence leave – supporting employees impacted by family violence by providing public servants 10 days leave per annum, non-cumulative.
8. Protecting pregnant women from assault – legislating to provide a separate aggravating sentence provision of up to two years jail when a pregnant woman is assaulted.
9. Protecting victims of family violence –legislating to allow a family violence victim to be registered and given information about a prisoner’s location and progress in the prison system.
10. Additional counselling services for adults experiencing family violence under the Safe Homes, Safe Families action plan.
11. Making women safer from repeat family violence offenders – the Government will legislate to record a family violence offence on a person’s criminal record, making it clearer for prosecutors, courts and corrective services when an offender has a pattern of family violence offending.
12. More funding for women’s legal services – the Government is providing an additional $200,000 for on-the-ground legal support for people in the North and North-East dealing with Family violence, with the Women’s Legal Service establishing a specialist presence in Launceston.
13. Rapid re-housing for women fleeing family violence - progressively establishing a pool of 50 rental properties to enable victims to move out of crisis accommodation into secure housing.
14. New Women’s crisis shelter – dedicated crisis accommodation in Hobart to allow for a 30% increase in capacity (from 47 beds to an estimated 70 beds).
15. Tasmanian Women’s Plan 2013-2018 – ensuring Government policies and services are responsive to the need of women and girls, representative of their views and reduce barriers to participation.

1. 119 supported accommodation beds - for vulnerable youth, elderly and people living with a disability through the Affordable Housing Strategy.
2. 27 brand new homes to be built and jobs for local builders - under the $7.5 m Private Developer Social Housing Grants
3. Community Housing Stock Leverage Program – to leverage over 150 properties in new social housing.
4. New housing units for older people in Launceston – 7 independent living units.
5. New affordable housing, Devonport –23 serviced lots in the heart of Devonport, 120 jobs.
6. A new home for young people in Devonport –$7.5 million supported accommodation for 25 young people, helping them re-engage with education, training or a job.
7. More help for young people in Launceston – an additional eight places at Thyne House, Launceston.
8. New housing units for older people, Somerset – building 6 independent living units.
9. More affordable housing, Kingston – 230 services residential lots for housing at Huntingfield.
10. A home for Dads and Kids - $2.5m for seven units and 12 beds in new facility.
11. 40 backyard units or ``Youth Castles'' to be built for young people to stay close to family home.
12. A new supported home for young people in the South –$14.2 million Trinity Hill to help 46 vulnerable young people aged 16 to 25, including 16 living with a disability.
13. New dedicated Youth at Risk Response Centre – the $1.4m centre to help young people involved with Child Safety or Youth Justice.
14. Somerset land release – subdividing to release 15 lots for affordable housing.
15. A new disability group home in Devonport – will build a 4-bedroom group home plus carer.
16. Five new homes in Glenorchy, 10 jobs – under Private Developer Social Housing Grant program
17. Thirty inner-city units for elderly – enabling older Tasmanians to age at home.
18. Make it easier for tenants – through the introduction of a new housing computer system that includes a tenant’s portal.
19. Help into home ownership – revamped Homeshare program has since helped 74 people on low-moderate incomes to own their own home.
20. Streets Ahead program – incentive program so that low to middle income Tasmanians can purchase Housing Tasmania dwellings.
21. More funding for maintenance of public housing – annual spending has increased, reducing the $90 million maintenance backlog left by the previous Government.

1. Support for life-changing NDIS reforms – strong support for the full roll-out of the NDIS in Tasmania and the benefits this will bring to people with disability.
2. Historic investment in the NDIS and people with disability – the Government has backed its commitment to the NDIS with funding of $572 million over the next four years.
3. Helping more people with disability into a job – contribution towards JobsABILITY project, to raise awareness in business community on the benefits of employing people with disability.
4. NDIS safety net – providing a transport safety net for NDIS trial participants, for those who have exhausted all their NDIS support funding.
5. Supporting Physical Disability Sports Tasmania – assisting Tasmanians with physical disabilities to participate in sport.
6. Additional support for people living with disability – invested an additional $500,000 per annum for 4 years to provide additional support to those living with disability until full roll-out.
7. Job-ready disability workforce -provided $250,000 to National Disability Services (NDS) to ensure a job-ready workforce for the NDIS.
8. Rowallan Park– provided funding for Rowallan Park, an integrated community facility providing supported accommodation for people living with disability.
9. Autism continuum of care- the Government has provided $1 million to create a long-term strategy for improved care for people with Autism, including the introduction of the Rethink Autism web-based program.
10. Training funds – funding under the Skills Fund Demand Led program to help disability providers to train disability staff to support a range of new skills for people with disability.

1. Power prices down (2.4% lower than at March 2014 election).
2. Electricity concessions up 5% (under previous government, electricity prices rose by 65%).
3. MAIB – a 7.5% reduction in premiums for a standard motor car, reflected in lower rego prices, with pensioners still eligible for a further 20% discount on their MAIB premiums.
4. Maintaining concessions - $300 million per year in concessions, an additional $9 million per year to cover shortfall from Federal Government.
5. Water and sewerage concessions – available to eligible low income earners and pensioners.
6. Medical concessions for heating and cooling – implemented a Medical Heating concession to expand on the current Medical Cooling concession, to help people with health conditions to manage their condition.
7. Significantly reducing Public Trustee fees for low income clients – bringing Tasmania from the highest charging jurisdiction to among the lowest, by extra Government funding of $250,000 pa.

1. Delivering day to day support for most vulnerable – funding of $260 million in 2016-17 to more than 230 community sector organisations, providing around 500 services right around the State.
2. Helping the community sector with increasing operational costs, pay and conditions – maintained base grant indexation at 2.25%, while providing an additional $9 million over 4 years, and $25.5 million to meet obligations under Fair Work Australia.
3. Cutting red tape for community sector organisations by not conducting separate quality and safety reviews where they have national accredited quality management in place.
4. Cutting red tape for community groups – increased threshold for audits for incorporated associations, saving Tasmanian community groups up to $900,000 per year.
5. Building a joined up human services support system - $250,000 to TasCOSS to assist in this reform, in partnership.
6. Growing and supporting Men’s Sheds – $550,000 allocated over 3 years to support Men’s Sheds throughout State (we have the highest density of Men’s Sheds in Australia).
7. Support for RSLs to support veterans – doubled funding, an additional $100,000 pa, to Tasmania’s RSLs in all corners of the State, founded 100 years ago in 1916.
8. Promoting active ageing for seniors - $125,000 to COTA (Tasmania) to lead a new engagement with older Tasmanians to support their participation in the community.
9. Supporting carers - $50,000 per year to allow Carers Tasmania to continue to support carers.
10. Protecting vulnerable older Tasmanians – $450,000 over 3 years for elder abuse prevention, including helpline (info and advice), advocacy service and awareness and training.
11. Cutting red tape for seniors – abolishing the requirement for drivers over the age of 75 to have compulsory medical assessments.
12. Supporting Salvos – $30,000 annual funding support for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal
13. Unique Joined Up Human Services initiative in Huon Valley – encouraging a person-centred approach, and collaboration between service providers for the benefit of most vulnerable.
14. Supporting social and economic benefits of multiculturalism – inaugural Multicultural Grants Program, $100,000 per annum, for projects that enhance cultural diversity.
15. Harmony Week - $25,000 per annum to support harmony celebrations.
16. New “Make it Tasmania” website – to encourage people to live and work in Tasmania, engaging expats (interstate and abroad) and encouraging business and skilled migration.
17. More humanitarian refugees – accepting up to 500 additional refugees from the Syrian crisis.
18. Pathways to employment through Safe Haven Hub - $1.2 million over 4 years to coordinate extra support, including additional interpreter support, for refugees and asylum seekers.
19. Celebrating multiculturalism – ongoing funding for a number of multicultural festivals including Taste of the World in Moonah; Estia Greek Festival;  Festa Italia and Chinese Lantern Festival.
20. On-island support for refugees - $1 million in additional support for refugees to support settlement in the State.
21. Providing a voice for young Tasmanians through ongoing funding to the Youth Network of Tasmania and an additional $40,000 to assist with the Tasmanian Youth Conference.
22. Funding security for Volunteering Tasmania – ongoing core funding and recognition for VT for the first time as the State’s peak body for volunteering in the State.
23. Historic Constitutional recognition for Tasmania’s First People – legislated to recognise Aboriginal People in the Tasmanian Constitution after 40,000 years of continuous Aboriginal occupation in Tasmania.
24. New approach to Aboriginal eligibility to deliver consistency and ensure Aboriginal people who are assessed as being able to access Commonwealth services can also access State services.
25. Support for Aboriginal children - $617,000 over four years to employ two Aboriginal Liaison officers as part of our $20.6 million Child Protection redesign.
26. Supporting Aboriginal women/ children experiencing family violence - $330,000 over 3 years.
27. Investing in our Neighbourhood House network – ongoing funding and a record $5.75 million in funding in 2016-17 for the network of 33 Neighbourhood Houses.
28. Refurbishing Neighbourhood Houses - $6 million for repairs, maintenance and upgrades.
29. Start-up food cooperatives - $100,000 to establish 8 co-ops to support nutritious, affordable food in local communities.
30. Expunging historic homosexual convictions – legislation under development to remove criminal records for previously illegal homosexual activity, records which continue to disadvantage many.
31. Supporting Meals on Wheels – $160,000 per annum to assist the 60-year-old Meals on Wheels program, delivering meals to 175,000 Tasmanians each year.
32. Food relief for vulnerable Tasmanians - $1.1 million in funding to deliver food security, including Foodbank, Secondbite and Produce to the People.
33. Double supporting for mobile food vans - $180,000 for Loui’s Van in Hobart, Mission Beat in Launceston and Gran’s Van in Devonport, providing an essential safety net to many in need.
34. Emergency relief for families in hardship - $330,000 per annum for emergency relief to Tasmanian families suffering financial hardship under the Family Assistance Program.
35. Christmas lunch – ongoing support for Colony 47’s Christmas lunch for Tasmanians in need of $3,000 per annum.
36. Red Cross – ongoing support for Red Cross calling campaign of $7000 per annum.
37. Increased funding to the public guardian to promote, speak for and protect the rights of people living with disability.
38. Flood grants extended to not-for-profit community organisations, recognising the impact on clubs, disability support groups, local charities, life-saving clubs, junior sports and golf clubs.

1. New bus service on West Coast – trial of a new twice weekly bus service connecting Burnie to major West Coast towns, including Queenstown, Rosebery and Tullah, and extended to Strahan.
2. New Metro buses – equity funding of $31 million to enable Metro to fund the most extensive bus replacement program in Tasmania’s history.
3. Safer bus stops - $300,000 Rural Bus stop upgrade program to construct newer, safer bus stops and associated infrastructure in regional areas in order to reduce the risks to students and other users who rely on buses.
4. Hobart bus network review – Metro’s network review is continuing to achieve significant patronage growth and provide an improved service to the greater Hobart area.
5. First Metro review in Launceston for a decade – Metro has commenced a wholesale review of the Launceston network, scheduled for completion in 2017.
6. Transport Access Strategy – the draft strategy sets out the approach to providing better integrated and coordinated transport services for all Tasmanians.

More Media Releases from

More Media Releases from the Minister for Human Services