Dear Ministers and Parliamentarians

We write to urge you to reconsider the proposal to reduce staffing at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG).  

TMAG is the second oldest museum in Australia and has been systematically collecting evidence of Tasmania’s distinctive natural and human history for 170 years. With nearly 500,000 people through the door every year, it is one of Tasmania’s major cultural icons and attracts local and international visitors. Sir David Attenborough has visited TMAG and hanging on one of the walls in Sir David’s London home is a cherished photo of an endemic Tasmanian snail that was named in his honour (Attenborougharion rubicundum).  

TMAG plays a vital role as a centre of research, providing the evidence base for legislation critical to Tasmania in areas as diverse as biosecurity, conservation and agriculture. This critical work cannot be performed without adequate resourcing, and the most vital piece of that puzzle is human capital.

TMAG holds a special place in the heart of the Taroona community, where Dr Simon Grove, one of our long-term Taroona residents, is TMAG’s invertebrate zoologist. Simon’s position is mooted to be merged with that of the vertebrate zoologist; however, these are completely distinct disciplines, complimentary in their expertise but with no overlap in their professional remit. Simon has contributed enormously to our community by sharing his expertise in a volunteer capacity, guest speaking at many events, inspiring decades of school children, leading nature walks, and writing numerous nature articles for our local newsletter. We need more people like Simon, not fewer.

Please, don’t cut staffing to the critical organisation that records and showcases our natural and cultural history. Nature nurtures health and wellbeing. Culture nurtures respect and wisdom. We all need more understanding, not less

Yours sincerely

Janette Power

Secretary, Taroona Community Association