MEDIA RELEASE

Call for TMAG Cuts to Be Put on Ice

28 October 2026

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb today tabled a motion for the immediate reversal of the intended TMAG job cuts and for the Rockliff Government to commit to provide the institution with secure, long-term funding to ensure it can deliver its statutory responsibilities.

“The Rockliff Government cannot continue to ignore the local and international uproar over the unprecedent threat to TMAG posed by these short-sighted and immensely destructive cuts,” Ms Webb said.

“This gutting of our unique TMAG will not just mean there are fewer people to maintain the standard services, it will result in TMAG ceasing to fulfil its core current and future scientific research roles and partnerships at a local, national and international level.

“The madness of the Government’s myopic approach risks TMAG ceasing to fulfil its statutory obligations, just unfathomable for any Government to do as the custodian of all that is unique to our State culturally, scientifically and heritage wise.”

Ms Webb said international experts are keenly aware of this threat, and urgent calls for a rethink have been flooding in.

“Almost 7000 people have signed the petition to overturn these cuts.

“This wave of independent international expert advice, and loud community objections should provide the Rockliff Government good cause to pause, reconsider and overturn these cuts.”

“But should common-sense not prevail, my motion will provide the Upper House the opportunity to intervene.”

MOTION

Test of motion tabled by Meg Webb MLC for debate at a later date:

The Hon. Meg Webb MLC tabled the following motion in the Legislative Council on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

The Motion has not yet been debated – stay tuned for that update at a later date!:

I (Ms Webb) give Notice that tomorrow I shall move –

(1) Notes with concern the Tasmanian government’s intention to cut resourcing and staffing of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) which holds internationally significant natural history collections, including vital educational, interpretative, promotional and senior curatorial roles;

(2) Acknowledges the considerable alarm and disbelief expressed by many in the Tasmanian scientific, cultural history and broader communities in response to the news of the threatened government funding cuts;

(3) Notes the range of urgent representations from local, interstate and international university-based and other professional research institutions expressing significant alarm over the proposed cuts and the impacts they will have on established research projects underway, the health and viability of the TMAG collections, current and future research and capacity, and the reputational damage to Tasmania;

(4) Acknowledges TMAG’s collections management is not a passive administrative task but instead requires skilled and continual high-level research, classification and maintenance;

(5) Notes the government’s intended staffing and resourcing cuts risks jeopardising the integrity of the TMAG collections and public assets, and also endangers:

(a)The collections’ security and conservation due to inadequate oversight accelerating the physical degradation of vulnerable, unique and irreplaceable type specimens;

(b) Current and future research throughput as the absence of dedicated research risks collection stagnation, reduced active loans and innovation collaboration, exchanges, and cross-regional biosecurity support;

(c) Capacity to meet statutory obligations as set out in section 5 ‘Institutional objectives’ of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Act 2017;

(d) Tasmania’s access to vital skills, knowledge and expertise.

Further, that the Legislative Council notes the motion passed at the Friends of TMAG public meeting of the 8th of October, and calls on the government to:

(6) Immediately reverse the intended job cuts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery;

(7) Retain the skilled staff who care for and interpret Tasmania’s TMAG state collections;

(8) Commit to providing TMAG with the secure, long-term funding needed to fulfil its public, cultural, scientific and legal responsibilities; and

(9) Reflect the long-term funding commitment in the 2027-28 state budget and forward estimates.