Adjournment: Cost-of-living crisis

Ms BURNET (Clark) - I rise tonight to acknowledge the heavy toll that recent months, or maybe years, have taken on the people of Tasmania. Years beyond COVID, many people are continuing to struggle with the latest problems, such as housing and work insecurity, the fuel crisis and climate change, that collectively play their part in increasing the burden on many Tasmanians. Just today I heard from a woman in the film industry concerned not only about troubling news of uncertainty in Screen Tasmania, but also by government inaction on other issues that impact her life. When speaking to local Hobart business owners, community organisations, or listening to the families living in Clark and beyond, one overwhelming theme emerges: people are exhausted, anxious, and doing it more than tough. We're navigating a period where pressures seem to stack up on top of one another without relief, creating a constant and heavy stream of bad news that leaves households feeling overwhelmed by events both global and local.

The cost-of-living crisis is not a distant concept. It is the daily reality of Tasmanians deciding between heating their homes or sometimes feeding their family, deciding whether to pay for essential afterschool care so parents can stay in the workforce, or putting that money toward weekend sport registration and team uniforms, rationing vital daily medications so the power bill gets paid on time, sacrificing routine healthcare or dental visits just to keep the car on the road. Crucially, these crises are not isolated events; they are deeply interconnected. As climate change accelerates, bringing erratic weather and extreme environmental risks, Tasmanians are hit with cost-of-living pressures, skyrocketing insurance premiums that drive home ownership and rent further out of reach. Safe, affordable housing is becoming an impossible dream for many, pushing more families into housing stress and vulnerability.

At the same time, our essential public services are failing to provide the safety net people desperately need. Tasmanians face the distressing reality of waiting for ambulances that are banked up outside emergency departments, unable to access timely healthcare when they are most vulnerable. When a family cannot afford insurance, cannot secure a stable roof over their head, and cannot guarantee care if a loved one falls ill, the cumulative psychological and financial strain becomes unbearable. Tasmanians are remarkably resilient, but there is a limit to resilience, and resilience is not a substitute for policy or proactive government action. We cannot expect our community to simply absorb wave after wave of pressure without structural relief and clear strategic direction.

We start each day in this place reflecting on our duty to the people and to the environment of Tasmania. I want to acknowledge the concern families, students, people on housing waiting lists, the woman who contacted me today concerned about the viability of Tasmania's film industry, and public servants who are facing significant uncertainty or burnout from being asked to do more in their roles, or both. Let us, as representatives, pause to understand the mounting pressures many of our constituents face, understand how these compounding pressures interact, and work towards solutions to address the burden on everyday households, such as safeguarding our natural environment, strengthening our public health system and giving Tasmanians confidence they need to retain their resilience