It’s Time to Back What’s Working — and Act on What Matters

This week, around kitchen tables and in community halls, I’ve been hearing the same questions:

What’s going on in Tasmania? Where are we heading? And why do so many things that matter—like housing, food, and mental health—feel like they’re slipping through the cracks?

Right now:

• Public debt is climbing past $10 billion
• Services are stretched thin
• And trust in leadership is wearing out

I’m no economist—but I’ve got enough common sense to know this: numbers don’t build a future. People do.

If we want Tasmania to thrive—not just get by—we’ve got to get the balance right. Yes, we need fiscal responsibility. But we also need to back the things that help people build strong, healthy, stable lives.

That means less delay, more doing. It means giving smart, community-based solutions the oxygen to grow.

As Paul Lupo from St.Lukes Health recently said:

“A conservative budget shouldn’t mean conservative thinking.”

Now’s not the time to play it safe. It’s time to invest wisely—in prevention, in people, and in the kind of Tasmania we want to hand to the next generation.

At Loaves and Fishes Tasmania, we stay politically neutral—but we’re not passive. We show up every day—making good food more accessible, building stronger communities, and creating pathways to jobs.

And here’s what we’ve seen:

• Local food helps people stay healthier
• Dignified support keeps people from hitting crisis
• Trust means people ask for help earlier
• And real community helps people stay strong when life gets hard

These aren’t handouts. They’re smart investments in people.

Because change doesn’t just happen in boardrooms or ballot boxes. It happens in relationships. In small, steady steps. In how we show up for each other.

This isn’t about red, green, or blue. It’s about all of us. So as Tasmania heads to the polls, here’s what must happen:

• The Food Relief to Food Resilience Strategy must be released—without further delay
• A clear Action Plan must follow—shaped in direct partnership with those doing the work and driving real change
• And the organisations already on the ground must be properly resourced and supported, so momentum isn’t lost and communities aren’t left waiting

Why?

Because right now, 1 in 5 Tasmanians is food insecure.

Because we’re seeing the health impacts of poor nutrition rise—especially among children.

Because when people don’t have access to good food, the pressure builds—on families, schools, hospitals, and community services already stretched thin.

And because this moment has been hard-won. Across Tasmania, hundreds of hours have been poured into shaping this strategy—by people from every part of the sector. People who’ve worked with integrity, experience, and deep care. People who believe in better. We must not let that effort be wasted.

This is no longer just a food issue. It’s a health issue. A dignity issue. A future issue.

And Tasmania has a chance—right now—to turn all that hard work into real, lasting change.

Let’s not waste this moment. Let’s make it count—for everyone.

By Andrew Hillier, CEO, Loaves and Fishes Tasmania