Yesterday we met as part of the DCT Transition joint working group. This is the second meeting since the former Premier announced that the Department of Communities would be dismantled and we received a document called the Communities Transition Project Business Plan that outlines various elements of the proposed scuttling.

But it doesn’t justify why services for some of the most vulnerable in our society shouldn’t have their own dedicated agency, it doesn’t address how any of the many and varied service and operational problems will be alleviated in any way by the change, it doesn’t explain why making a change before the Commission of Inquiry makes any recommendations about the very areas that the government are proposing to change and it doesn’t explain how the experience in South Australia won't be repeated in Tasmania.

We remain opposed to the change and we’ll be doing everything we can to convince the Premier that the best plan is to actually consult with stakeholders and come up with a clear and understandable proposal and guarantee specific and targeted services, particularly for children and young people.

We’ll be out to see you in the next few weeks, and we’ll be talking to others in the community service sector. We’ll be seeing what members of the legislative council reckon, and we’ll keep demanding answers about a decision that no one can explain.