Tasmania cuts remote office hours by half, deepening rural digital divide
Tasmania may cut opening hours by up to half at five remote Service centres, affecting older and less digital-savvy residents.
The Tasmanian government may cut opening hours at five Service Tasmania centres across remote and regional areas by up to half. Whitemark on Flinders Island will drop from 20 to 10 hours per week; Queenstown will fall from 32.5 to 16 hours; Oatlands from 25 to 20; Campbell Town from 25 to 16.5; and Currie on King Island from 20 to 10.
The cuts follow a drop in foot traffic, but Flinders Mayor Rachel Summers and opposition MPs warn the move will exclude older people and those unable to use digital services. 'Government forms can be quite difficult to understand,' Summers said, and for Flinders residents, visiting in person already takes a long trip.
The state says no jobs will be lost, with existing staff helping remotely. A three-week public consultation begins Monday.
- 20 to 10 per week
- Whitemark hours cut
- 32.5 to 16 hours
- Queenstown hours cut
- 2 days per week
- Whitemark frequency
- 3 weeks
- Consultation length
Why it mattersOlder residents and people struggling with online services will lose their only reliable way to access government help in rural and island areas.
AustraliaTasmanians living remotely or on islands will have much harder access to license renewals, form support, and other government services.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 12 d ago
