Divisions
- Lifting Literacy
- What is literacy?
- Lifting Literacy Outcomes Monitoring Group (LLOMG)
- The Literacy Advisory Panel
Contact Details
By phone
Find the number of a specific division or office to contact them directly or call Service Tasmania on 1300 135 513.
Our staff
Use the Tasmanian Government Directory to find staff contact details
Social media
Follow our social media accounts to keep up to date with specific programs and initiatives.
Community Consultation
Approach to Community Consultation - Round Two
The Literacy Advisory Panel (the Panel) invited submissions on its final consultation paper from Tuesday, 28 February 2023 to 5pm Monday, 20 March 2023.
The Panel has heard from many people on what is needed to Lift Literacy in Tasmania. It then sought to hear from the community on the key themes it has identified. The key themes have informed recommendations that the Panel have made to the Premier.
The Panel ensured the community were aware of the consultation process in a variety of ways:
- 47,218 individuals saw or heard ads through social media, Spotify and LiSTNR.
- 1,660 individuals visited the website.
- 12 newspapers across Tasmania featured ads (community and three daily papers).
- 179 stakeholders received emails.
- 4 partner organisations engaged with people with lived-experience of low literacy.
How You Responded
144 of you responded in the following ways:
Written Submissions
You were provided with a range of methods to participate in community consultation, including by email and online survey.
- 53 individuals or organisations participated by email,
- 58 participated through the online survey, and
- 16 individuals responded through written paper surveys
Assisted Submissions
Our consultation partners at 26TEN, Libraries Tasmania, the Risdon Prison Library Program and TasCOSS provided assistance to and engaged with people with lived-experience of low literacy.
- 34 individuals responded our through partners
Community Consultation Submissions
Please note that the views or opinions expressed in submissions reflect the views of the persons or entities making those submissions only. Inclusion of submissions should not be taken as an endorsement by the Tasmanian Government or the Department of any views or opinions so expressed. Copyright in submissions rests with the author of each submission. The Tasmanian Government does not accept liability for any breaches of the authors' copyright.
As required under the Personal Information Protection Act 2004, personal information such as contact numbers and addresses have been redacted. Confidential, inappropriate or offensive submissions have not been published in accordance with the Department's Public Submissions Policy.
Network of Educational Associations of Tasmania (NEAT)
Commissioner for Children and Young People
Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC)
Foundation for Learning and Literacy
Department for Education, Children and Young People
Modern Language Teachers Association of Tasmania Inc.
Early Childhood Educators - South
Tasmanian Small Business Council
Australian Literacy Educators Association
Australian Literacy Educators Association South
Tasmanian 100% Literacy Alliance
Australian School Library Association
Ministerial Thyroid Advisory Committee
Download the final consultation paper. (PDF)
Approach to Community Consultation - Round One
From February to March 2022, the Literacy Advisory Panel asked Tasmanians for feedback, ideas, and comments on how to improve literacy in the state. The community answered with over 350 responses.
The Panel ensured the community were aware of the consultation process in a variety of ways:
- 180,500 individuals saw ads through social media,
- 3,321 individuals visited the website,
- 21 newspapers across Tasmania featured ads (community and three daily papers),
- 179 stakeholders received emails, and
- 6 community consultation partners spread the word about consultation.
How You Responded
352 of you responded in the following ways:
Written Submissions
You were provided with a range of methods to participate in community consultation, including by email. Additionally, an online survey or Facebook posts could be used to respond the questions posed by ‘Paper One: Setting the Scene. Tasmania’s Community-wide Framework’.
- 72 individuals or organisations participated by email,
- 160 participated through the online survey, and
- 98 individuals responded through Facebook.
Assisted Submissions
Our consultation partners at Neighbourhood Houses Tasmania, Early Childhood Australia Tasmania Branch, Child and Family Learning Centres (CFLCs), Libraries Tasmania and 26TEN, supported individuals to respond to community consultation. We engaged these partners because of their established relationships with Tasmanians, including those who may find it difficult to provide a written response to community consultation because of literacy challenges.
- 22 individuals responded through partners.
What We Heard
The Literacy Advisory Panel has been working to analyse the feedback it received from community consultation. Several recurring themes immediately emerged from the submissions, including:
- the importance of the role of families and carers in promoting and supporting learners’ literacy development,
- supports for children and young people and their families,
- teacher training and education (initial and ongoing professional development),
- timely and affordable access and interventions to specialist services (including allied health),
- lack of general awareness and understanding of the breadth of services available,
- gap in explicit literacy support for adults, and
- increased funding (and access) for literacy programs and services.
The Panel is developing the Community-wide Framework and will release a draft for community consultation in the latter half of 2022.
Read the full consultation report 'Paper Two: What we heard' for an in depth analysis of the submissions.
Community Consultation Submissions
Please note that the views or opinions expressed in submissions reflect the views of the persons or entities making those submissions only. Inclusion of submissions should not be taken as an endorsement by the Tasmanian Government or the Department of any views or opinions so expressed. Copyright in submissions rests with the author of each submission. The Tasmanian Government does not accept liability for any breaches of the authors' copyright.
As required under the Personal Information Protection Act 2004, personal information such as contact numbers and addresses have been redacted. Confidential, inappropriate or offensive submissions have not been published in accordance with the Department's Public Submissions Policy.
Lived Experience Survey Responses
Tasmanian Small Business Council
Catholic Education Parents Council
Early Childhood Australia, Tasmania Branch
Mental Health Council of Tasmania
Australian Literacy Educators' Association
Tasmanian Association for the Gifted
Tasmanian Food Security Coalition
Dr Michele Antsey and Geoff Bull
Tasmania 100 per cent Literacy Alliance
Commissioner for Children and Young People
Meredith Cashion and Mandy Beard
Education for Sustainability Tasmania
Early Childhood Educators Tasmania
In accordance with the Department's Public Submissions policy, 88 community consultation submissions have been withheld from publication. Please find the Department's Public Submissions policy here.
Information about the community consultation process and how it ran is detailed below.
Paper One: Setting the Scene
The Literacy Advisory Panel invited submissions from 4 February 2022 to 25 March 2022.
The purpose of this consultation was to gather information on current activities to improve literacy in Tasmania, as well as to hear the views of Tasmanians regarding what is working well, where there are gaps, and what supports need to be in place. To do this, the community were asked to respond to Paper One: Setting the Scene.
Download the consultation paper Paper One: Setting the Scene for more information.
How the community participated:
Online submissions were submitted through SurveyMonkey, and written submissions were emailed to policy@dpac.tas.gov.au or sent by mail.
Submission Assistance and Publication
Individuals who required assistance to respond to community consultation were advised to contact 26TEN: https://26ten.tas.gov.au/Pages/Get-Help.aspx.