Help Tasmanians tackle the high cost of living.
Tasmanians are worried about the rising cost of living. It's getting worse and worse.
People shouldn't have to struggle just to put food on the table or send their kids to school.
We need a government that can get its priorities right, and deliver real help for Tasmanian families.
Labor has a plan to help household budgets by cutting the everyday costs Tasmanians face.
A Rebecca White Labor Government will make reducing the cost of living our number one priority.
Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power
Soaring power bills only add to the cost of living pressures facing Tasmanian families.
Labor will run the Hydro so Tasmanians pay Tasmanian prices for our power - that’s why Labor built the Hydro in the first place. Our plan will save around $400 on power for an average Tasmanian household.
Expanding childcare so parents can go to work and pay the bills
Labor will provide more access to high-quality, affordable childcare by setting up 50 additional childcare centres in Tasmania, including 30 new early childhood centres near schools, offices and transport terminals.
Labor’s plan will:
- Build 30 new early childhood centres (0-5yo) on government land or council land they wish to make available.
- Create an additional 4,500 places in childcare, assisting more than 3,500 Tasmanian families.
- Expand before and after school care in 20 locations.
Attracting and retaining the educators we need
Labor’s plan will create 600 new jobs in the early childhood sector. To attract and retain these workers we will offer:
- Better pay
- Better conditions
- Free degrees
- Training fund
In exchange for free leases and land, early childhood operators will agree to maintaining above Award pay and conditions for the duration of the lease to support staff retention.
$3 million will be provided to provide fee-free diplomas and professional development short courses for early childhood educators. This will supplement the fee free TAFE already provided for certificate III in early childhood education and care.
Labor will also offer 50 Early Childhood Education degrees through our existing scholarship program.
Energy efficient rental homes
To take urgent action on the cost-of-living and provide relief for renters and people in social housing, Rebecca White and Labor will invest in making homes energy efficient.
Every Tasmanian knows how cold a winter night can be – often well below 10° Celsius.
Under Labor’s plan, we will:
- Incentivise landlords to make energy efficient upgrades to their rental properties.
- Provide $1,000 for upgraded or new heat pumps, insulation, solar panels, household battery storage systems, better glazing, lighting, hot water system or air conditioning.
- Provide $5 million to upgrade public and social housing.
- Save households more than $4500 over 10 years.
- Keep more homes in the long-term rental market.
- Ensure more households can take advantage of lower power prices under Labor.
Providing free school lunches to help kids and family budgets
To take urgent action on the cost-of-living, Rebecca White and Labor will provide free school lunches at every Tasmanian government school to help kids and family budgets.
We will provide free, healthy lunches for every Tasmanian government primary school student by 2030. This will save families on the weekly grocery shop – an average of $80-$100 a week for a family with two kids.
At a time when 67% of teachers report having students come to school hungry or without having eaten breakfast, Labor’s plan will provide welcome relief while focusing on one of the most important things in a child’s day.
The school lunch program will:
- Help with the cost of living, saving parents on the weekly grocery shop
- Deliver healthy menus for lunch and snacks
- Allow parents to say goodbye the dreaded morning routine of packing lunches
- Improve focus, engagement and attendance while filling hungry tummies.
Cutting cost of living with our Parents Package
Labor will help parents by cutting costs for childcare, education and sport. Labor will:
- Make it easier for parents to access childcare when they're studying themselves. Because every Tasmanian should have the opportunity to increase their skills.
- Extend after hours school care in 10 locations to help working parents.
- Make sure every child gets the same opportunities by helping schools with the cost of excursions.
- Help with the cost of local kids sport by expanding the Ticket to Play program.
- Let parents pay for school fees and uniform quarterly to spread the cost over the year. And we'll make hassle free by extending payment options to include direct debit.
Scrapping unfair power connection charges for renters
To take urgent action on the cost-of-living and provide relief for young people and renters, Rebecca White and Labor will scrap charges for connecting and disconnecting basic meters on people who move house.
We will do this by scrapping the $100.97 charge to connect a basic meter, and the $64.09 charge for a final meter read.
Tasmanians are facing a cost of living crisis, and the Liberals say they won’t do anything about it.
By contrast, Labor’s plan will:
- Save $165 for Tasmanians moving house
- Help the many customers who still have basic meters
- Deliver immediate cost of living relief
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Labor has a plan for Tasmania.