Arabic version: مقترح لتقليص ساعات العمل في خمسة مراكز لخدمة تسمانيا

According to ABC News, the Tasmanian government is proposing to reduce face-to-face opening hours at five regional Service Tasmania centres after analysing two years of customer visitation data. The proposal affects Queenstown, Oatlands, Campbell Town, Currie on King Island and Whitemark on Flinders Island, which already have reduced office hours.

Under the plan, weekly hours would fall from 25 to 20 in Oatlands, from 32.5 to 16 in Queenstown, and from 25 to 16.5 in Campbell Town. Currie and Whitemark would each move from 20 hours to 10 hours a week. Whitemark is the only Service Tasmania centre on Flinders Island.

Flinders Mayor Rachel Summers said the proposal was concerning for an isolated community with older residents and people who cannot access reliable internet services. She said digital access could work for some people but would exclude others, particularly those seeking assistance to complete forms or confirm information has been filled in accurately.

The state opposition said it would seek to stop the changes, arguing that reduced contact hours could be difficult to restore and would affect regional and island communities. Bass MP Jess Greene said Tasmania had a digital divide and urged Premier Jeremy Rockliff to reconsider the proposal.

The government said no jobs would be lost and existing regional staff would contribute remotely. A document seen by ABC News said the change would reduce frontline staffing by about 1.9 full-time equivalent positions across the five centres; a spokesperson said those positions were vacancies that would not be filled. Public consultation opens Monday and runs until October 2, including on the days and times that would best meet local needs.