Five regional Service Tasmania shops could lose up to half their opening hours under a state government proposal driven by falling foot traffic.
The centres at Whitemark, Currie, Oatlands, Queenstown and Campbell Town are all in the firing line, with consultation set to open on September 14 and run for three weeks.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the government’s push to put more services online and over the phone had changed how people interact with Service Tasmania.
“The way people access Government services has changed significantly over recent years thanks to our ongoing investment, with more digital and phone-based services available than ever before,” he said.
Two years of visitation data showed demand at the five locations was significantly lower than the hours currently offered.
Under the proposal, Queenstown would cop the biggest cut, dropping from 32.5 hours a week to 16.
Campbell Town would go from 25 hours to 16.5.
Oatlands would drop from 25 hours to 20.
Both Whitemark and Currie would be halved, falling from 20 hours to 10.
All five centres would remain open and no jobs or hours would be lost, with staff in those regions contributing remotely instead.
Rockliff said the changes were shaped by how people were already using the centres.
“We know many Tasmanians still rely on in-person services and that’s why these changes have been proposed based on current customer usage,” he said.
“As these customer preferences continue to evolve, it is important that we regularly review how services are delivered.”
The government is asking community members for feedback on the proposed changes, including which days and times would best suit local needs.
People can have their say through an online survey or by phone between September 14 and October 2.
