TasCOSS’ Our Island Our Voices campaign for a fairer Tasmania has emailed all candidates from Tasmania’s three major political parties Electorate Snapshots detailing the priority social issues facing their respective electorates.

 The Snapshots are designed to remind candidates from all political parties of the critical social and economic challenges facing many communities across the state including within their own electorate.

In November 2009, we commissioned independent polling by EMRS revealing that the bread-and-butter issues of health and education were the two issues most in the minds of voters across all five Tasmanian electorates. We are sure they are also the issues that all candidates in this election are now hearing on the doors and along the campaign trail.

The electorate snapshots we seek to provide information to all candidates on what we consider are the priority social issues for low-income and vulnerable Tasmanians across Tasmania’s five electorates. This is based on the polling results as well as our own research in talking with low-income Tasmanians about the issues that most impact on their lives, including the findings of our landmark 2009 research report called “Just Scraping By”.

It is hoped candidates would consider these issues over the next four weeks and particularly how their party’s policies intend to address these issues should they win government on March 20.

Our message to all candidates is that there are clearly votes to be won over the next four weeks by talking more about those basic issues of health, education and community services that impact directly on every single family and voter living in their electorate.