02.10.2026

To: Honourable Roger Jaensch, Minister of Arts and Minister of Tourism, Hospitality, and Events

CC:

Honourable Nick Duigan, Minister for Parks and Heritage
Honourable Guy Barnet, Deputy Premier and Minister for Environment and Climate Change
Honourable Jo Palmer, Minister for Education
Janie Finlay, Shadow Minister for Environment, Parks & Climate Change
Anita Dow, Shadow Minister for Tourism & Events
Meg Brown, Shadow Minister for Heritage & Arts
Mary Mulcahy, Director of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery 

Dear Honourable Roger Jaensch,

I write on behalf of Australasian Palaeontologists (AP), a specialist group of the Geological Society of Australia, and a 50-year-old society representing the palaeontological community in Australia. We wish to express our urgent concerns regarding the reported job cuts and fiscal restructuring at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG). The AP wishes to highlight the essential role TMAG plays in the discovery and preservation of Tasmania’s unique palaeontological heritage. We believe the proposed changes are exceedingly short-sighted and will have dire consequences on the long-term preservation and understanding of irreplaceable scientific collections of Tasmania’s recent and deep history.

Carefully curated, accessible, and active scientific collections are the cornerstone of a museum. In Tasmania, these collections represent more than 175 years of public investment into the state’s natural and cultural heritage. Furthermore, Tasmania holds a globally significant fossil record spanning early complex life over half a billion years ago, a globally unique transition sequence across the largest mass extinction event in Earth history at the Permian/Triassic boundary (252 million years ago), and the preservation of a unique mammalian fauna demonstrating recent connections between Tasmania and mainland Australia.

From a scientific collection historical perspective, TMAG is home to Australia’s oldest marsupial, Wynyardia (23 million years old; TMAG Z237) and the only Australian collection to house fossils of the first named Australian Mesozoic vertebrate, Bothriceps australis, a 250-million-year-old amphibian named by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1859. These globally unique specimens are but the tip of the iceberg of the palaeontological heritage being preserved at TMAG. These collections have existed for generations thanks to the expertise of museum researchers who safeguard the extraordinary scientific value of the collections they oversee. Palaeontological research programs at TMAG have substantial impacts on education, tourism, and our understanding of biodiversity loss. Over a century of effort in collecting and describing these remains are now at risk if the specialist staff required to manage them are removed.

The AP Council and our members have grave concerns regarding the impact of proposed cuts on the future direction and core functions of the museum. The short-sighted proposed decimation of expert research positions and collection management capacity will ultimately undermine TMAG’s reputation as a highly regarded source of scientific and cultural knowledge. In the long term, these actions will result in transforming TMAG into a mere storage facility. Currently, the rich knowledge of experts at TMAG is clearly translated into dynamic and engaging exhibitions and educational programs. However, without substantive subject expertise, museum galleries will quickly (less than a decade) become outdated and eventually consign the museum into scientific and public irrelevancy.

Globally, palaeontologists rely almost exclusively on publicly funded repositories to secure the longevity of unique specimens. We recognise that these discoveries belong to the public, not just individuals or institutions. Museums provide the assurance that specimens remain part of the public trust. This long-standing relationship between palaeontologists and museums is the reason we have highly esteemed institutions such as the Natural History Museum (London), the American Museum of Natural History (New York), and the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin). As one of the oldest museums in Australia, the TMAG is widely regarded among these institutions, but the proposed restructuring will irreparably damage both the long-standing relationships it has built with palaeontologists and its global reputation. Without a fully functioning, expert-run TMAG collection, key specimens, including new Tasmanian specimens currently being researched and discovered, will be sent elsewhere, beyond state borders, if not farther; a loss to Tasmania.

It is also worth clarifying that any expectation that other institutions, such as the University of Tasmania, will “fill the gaps” left by TMAG restructuring is deeply misguided. Universities across Australia have already demonstrated limited capacity to curate specimens on a large-scale, relying instead on publicly funded institutions (i.e., museums). But more fundamentally, it is imperative that the Tasmanian government recognise that the expertise, infrastructure, and resources required to maintain and expand collections curated for the public cannot and should not be shouldered by universities. The responsibility of safekeeping the public trust falls squarely and logically on publicly funded museums. Staffing limitations at universitas also mean that these institutions will not be capable of delivering the expertise that the TMAG will eventually be forced to outsource, once its exhibits and educational content inevitably become outdated.

We acknowledge the challenges posed by budgetary constraints and evolving societal demands. However, we strongly urge the Tasmanian government to seek out a more balanced approach that prioritises both public engagement and scientific research. For the museum, the proposed restructuring is a short-term gain for long-term pain, squandering over a century of tax-payer investment, and gravely compromising the Museum’s ability to fulfil its legislative obligations under the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Act 2017 (section 5), specifically the following objectives:

“Care for and develop the TMAG collectons (5a)”,

“Acquire, collect and procure works, objects and specimens relating to history, the arts, the natural sciences, technology, archaeology and Aboriginal cultural heritage, with particular emphasis on material that is uniquely Tasmanian or of relevance to Tasmania (5b)”,

“Exhibit, promote, disseminate and otherwise make available the TMAG collections and, from time to time, material loaned to TMAG by other institutions (5c)”, and

“Conduct, arrange for, promote and support research, educational and interpretative actvities relating to history, the arts, the natural sciences, technology, archaeology and Aboriginal cultural heritage (5f)”

The proposed cuts will therefore put 4 of the 6 insttutonal objectves at risk.

We implore you to halt these cuts and to imitate further discourse, considerations, and consultation regarding the long-term ramifications of these changes. The preservation of Tasmania’s natural heritage and intellectual legacy demands a thoughtful and collaborative approach that values scientific research, collection management, and public engagement in equal measure.

Thank you for your attenton to this critcal matter.

Sincerely,

Associate Professor Nicolás Campione
Chair, Australasian Palaeontologists
On behalf of the council, members, and broader Australian palaeontological community
htps://www.australasianpalaeontologists.com/