Media release – Health and Community Services Union, 25 July 2022
HACSU members resolve to oppose the abolishment of Communities Tasmania
HACSU members across the Department of Communities met last week to express their frustration and anger about the decision of government to abolish their agency.
Since the announcement by the former Premier the information provided to workers has been farcical. Our members work in child safety, in housing, in family violence services, in youth justice and across a range of other service areas that provide support to the most vulnerable in our communities.
There are major issues in all of these areas. We see child safety overwhelmed by demand, we see youth justice confused by a stalled reform agenda and the ongoing issues at Ashley, we see housing and homelessness services failing struggling Tasmanians.
Meanwhile, the government cannot explain how the abolishment of Communities Tasmania will address any of these issues. Our members have demanded that the government provides the relevant information about the change and provide a sound and defensible reason why this will make any improvement to the services it provides to Tasmanians. Failure to provide meaningful and relevant information will see an escalation in industrial action from our members.
“Our services are currently in an extreme crisis, and a media release announcing this change is not a plan. Nothing has been provided by government or departmental representatives as to how the immediate service delivery crisis across our services will be addressed,” said HACSU Secretary Tim Jacobson.
“Refusing to engage in a meaningful change process with the actual workers who deliver the services shows just how out of touch the government is on this decision.” It is unclear at this stage what the actual timeline for the abolishment of the department is.
Quotes attributable to HACSU State Secretary Tim Jacobson: “Our members in Communities who have resolved to take industrial action do not make this decision lightly. The risk to the vulnerable, their families and to workers is too great for there not to be a significant change in approach from the government.”
“We have seen similar moves in the past interstate, and they have been reversed to go back to having a standalone department, particularly for child and family services. The debacle in South Australia should not be ignored. The Tasmanian public should rightly expect that their government learns from the mistakes of others.”
“Our members have made it clear – they’ll escalate action up to and including stopping work if this decision is not reversed.”
