Who is
Tammy Tyrrell is Tasmania's only independent Senator. As an independent, she doesn't have to worry about party politics and factional games. She's the only Tasmanian Senator who can be 100%, full-time, focused on you.
Tammy has already secured wins for Tasmania, like a guaranteed 1,200 affordable homes and delivering funding for crucial homelessness services.
She's working on delivering for people who needing help the most: people struggling with Family Law Court, people caring for sick relatives, people who are trying to get ahead in life but need a little help.
Tam isn't like other politicians. She's normal. She sees what needs fixing, who needs helping, and gets to work on getting it done.
That's why we like her. You'll like her too.
Where Tammy is from
Tammy Tyrrell was born and raised on Tasmania's north-west coast.
She spent her childhood swimming at Gunns Plains, rugging up in knitted jumpers, collecting firewood for winter.
She was lousy at maths, great at reading. (Some things never change).
After finishing school, Tammy worked on a farm to pay off her beloved XD Falcon.
She didn't grow up with money. So she learned early the value of a dollar: how much work goes into making one, and how easy it is to lose one.
When the dollars are few and far between, saving means sacrificing.
Tammy was too young when her mum's heart stopped.
Her mum was too young too.
Life is short. For some, it's too short. You don't know how long you've got, and fairness has nothing to do with it.
Losing a parent young teaches you things you can't learn any other way.
You aren't owed a long, happy life. It's up to you to make it.
Be the kind of person that makes life better. Help those who need it. Be kind. Be generous. Be one of the good ones.
Tammy's career spans roles in paddocks, factories and offices. She spent 15 years in employment services, helping the long-term unemployed find work.
During this time, she saw how unemployment breaks people.
It's the worst kind of feeling, long-term unemployment. You start to doubt that you're actually worth employing.
Tammy gets it. She's spent 15 years working with people going through it.
You can't shame someone into work; they've got plenty of that already.
Tammy understands the dignity that comes from doing decent work for a decent living. It gives you meaning. Purpose.
You start setting your alarm again, because you've got something to get up for.
That's what she wants to help with.
What Tammy has done
Tammy Tyrrell is focused on delivering good things for Tasmania. She's negotiated a guarantee of 1,200 affordable Tasmanian homes through the Housing Australia Future Fund.
Without this guarantee, Tasmania wasn't assured of any.
Homelessness in Tasmania is growing faster than any other state. The 1,200 homes Tammy delivered are enough to shelter every Tasmanian sleeping rough tonight — twice over.
It's enough to bring our homelessness rate down, rather than continue going up.
It's the first time in modern history we can say that.
Tammy pushed through a motion that axed an $18 million dollar slush fund for the Governor-General.
She helped keep the Australian Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant program, which supports Tassie's wine industry, after Labor earmarked it to be scrapped.
She's voted for decent jobs, decent pay, for action on the climate, for more help for students and for investment in Australian industry.
She's chaired the first Senate inquiry into the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme in nearly 50 years. Most people don't know what it is, but it's the thing that keeps the cost of living in Tasmania equivalent to living on the mainland. Without it, we pay more for everyday essentials like building materials, food and groceries.
Tammy gets results. She doesn't do temper tantrums. She doesn't do theatrics. She doesn't get distracted with culture wars or appearing on reality TV shows.
She listens to you, hears what you need, then puts her head down and gets to work.
What Tammy's working on next
Tammy's not done there. She's focused on delivering as much as she can to impact the lives of everyday Tasmanians, and she's getting better at it every day.
Vaping — scrap the ban!
The ban on disposable vaping is a disaster for public health. Tammy's had members of her own family go from smoking a pack a day and coughing as soon as they wake up, to be cough-free, healthier, happier, by replacing cigarettes with vapes.
They aren't good for you, no. But they're better than smoking cigarettes. And banning one is just pushing people towards the other.
Tammy advocates for sensible regulation that prevents kids from accessing vaping products while allowing adults to use them as a tool to quit smoking. It's what she's seen work in her own family; she'd be a hypocrite to deny other families the same opportunity.
Carers should retire with dignity
Young carers who leave the workforce for a eyar or two, to support a loved one who needs care, are losing superannuation and never closing the gap. Paying super on carer payments for people under 40 will not only result in people retiring with more money, but it will also save the budget millions of dollars by reducing pension outlays. It's good for families, good for dignity in retirement, and it saves taxpayers money, all at the same time.
Nobody should have to retire in poverty for the crime of looking after their dying mum.
Tammy's campaigns reflect her commitment to a fairer, more compassionate Tasmania. She's working on the things she's always believed in: that sometimes the ones who need the most help are the ones who make the least noise.
They're the ones struggling day to day, paycheck to paycheck. They care about the world around them and want to look after the most vulnerable. But they're vulnerable too.
They just need someone in their corner.
That's why Tammy's there.