20 September 2026

Dear Premier Rocklif,

We hope you are well.

We are current and past members of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery’s (TMAG’s) Young People’s Reference Panel (YPRP, the panel). The panel’s purpose is to engage and empower people aged 7 to 17 and help the Museum respond to what maters most to younger generations.

We love volunteering for the museum because we really care. So many Tasmanian children have their first memories at TMAG! It’s the heart of Hobart and we absolutely love it. 

When we heard about your idea of saving money by asking TMAG to cut up to 20 jobs (30% of its people) we felt worried for staff and the existence of programs like the YPRP and the children’s festival Lift Off. If there was no panel how would youth voices be heard? How would TMAG remain relevant to kids? What if governments made cuts like this every couple of years - would our favourite place even continue to be open?

TMAG is not just a place to see exhibitions. It’s a place for learning, creativity, science, festivals, family days, sharing collections, school trips, holiday programs, work experience and so much more. There are always interesting things to do at the museum for free.

But TMAG can’t keep doing all this with less money. It needs money and staff because it has a really important job to do - telling Tasmania’s stories, bringing joy to locals and visitors from around the world, and keeping treasures safe for future generations.

As panel members, we are lucky to see behind the scenes at TMAG and how much work goes into maintaining, preserving, researching and interpreting the collection for future generations. How sad would it be if funding cuts meant that the collections suffered and we didn't have all the cool things in the future!

We also get to work with all the different staff who make the museum run. Being part of TMAG is a very special thing. You can learn a lot, make new friends, have a say, and maybe see your own ideas on the walls. The people who work there are like a family; everyone has a special place, they know and share so much. Anyone who lost their job at TMAG would be missed, especially those who help with all the things for children.

Young people deserve a say in important decisions like this. We are not just here to be taught; we have views and if we were listened to more often we could help prevent sad things happening in our world. The news of the proposed job losses at TMAG has made us feel annoyed, angry, sad and anxious but we hope you agree that money is not always the most important thing.

There is only one TMAG and it’s been here for ages. We are all so lucky to have such a wonderful museum. It is not the role of the museum to make money – TMAG brings thousands of visitors to Hobart and gives everything it does back to the community for free. All we need to do is keep caring for it.

Please listen to us when we ask for no funding cuts to TMAG. Please consider increasing your support for the museum’s amazing staff. Our history, culture and future generations are worth it.

Yours sincerely,

Anneliese A. (14), Miranda A. (13), Erika A. (11), Madeleine P. (13), Ettie T. (12), Everett T. (8).