Messages of Support

To the Board of Trustees and Executives

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
GPO Box 1164
Hobart TAS 7001
Australia

Letter of Support

Dear Ms Mulcahy, Mr Steward, Mr Catchpole and Members of the Executive Board,

as a group of herbarium directors and curators from Germany we are writing to express our serious concern about the planned re-organisation and severe budget cuts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

The pivotal role of biological diversity for human well-being is nowadays universally acknowledged. Scientific collections play an important role as archives of the past and present diversity of life as well as hubs for scientific research generating the knowledge necessary for targeted conservation measures. Tasmania’s biodiversity is particularly rich as witnessed by the UNESCO’s inscription of the Tasmanian Wilderness in the World Heritage List. Documenting and studying this diversity is a responsibility best fulfilled by regional institutions and specialists.

However, natural history collections are not islands entire of themselves, but part of a universal network of institutions and scientists. This network of scientists relies on access to regional collections and regional expertise for taxonomical and population genetic research, the creation of inventories, Red List assessments, research on invasive species, modelling studies and many more. The proposed cuts in staff would reduce the capacities to exchange material for research and to deal with compliance and permit issues. This would seriously compromise TMAG’s ability to contribute to ongoing and future international collaborations. Furthermore, the proposed re-organisation would leave Tasmania without any experts in the field of non-vascular plants and fungi, which together account for half of her exceptionally rich biodiversity. This expertise, once lost, is extremely difficult and expensive to re-build.

Collectively, the herbaria curated by us hold c. 15 million specimens. As part of our daily work we do not only curate the material housed in our institutions. We send out and receive loans of specimens for scientific research, share our expertise with stakeholders and the general public and support collaborative research which, just like biodiversity itself, transcends national borders.

We are therefore deeply concerned about the potential loss of access to collections from Tasmania as well as the loss of local expertise and respectfully ask you to do everything in your power to persuade the Australian Government to abandon its planned cuts to TMAG.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Christian Printzen
Curator of Cryptogams
Herbarium Senckenbergianum Frankfurt (FR)

Prof. Dr. Stefan Wanke
Head of Department Botany and  Molecular Evolution
Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt

Dr. Juraj Paule
Head of Herbarium Collections
Botanical Garden Berlin (B)
Freie Universität Berlin

Dr. Robert Lücking
Head of Research
Botanical Garden Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin

Prof. Dr. Christine Römermann
Director, Herbarium Haussknecht (JE)
Senckenberg Institute for Plant Form andHamburgense (HBG)

Prof. Dr. Karsten Wesche
Director, Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz
Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden

Dr. Matthias Schultz
Senior Curator, Herbarium Hamburgense (HBG)

Dr. Holger Thüs
Curator of fungi, bryophytes & algae
Natural History Museum Stuttgart (STU)

Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit
Institute of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants and
Director, Botanische Staatssammlung München (M)

PD Dr. Andreas Beck
Curator of Lichens and Bryophytes
Deputy Director, Botanische Staatssammlung München (M)

Prof. Dr. Julia Bechteler
Bryophyte Ecology and Evolution
Senckenberg Institute for Plant Form and Function, Jena

Letter of Support from German herbarium Directors.pdf

To all Tasmanian Parliamentarians, I write as a Tasmanian historian and author, and as the president of the History Council of NSW, which is the peak organisation for history in this state.

I appreciate the challenges of balancing the Tasmanian budget, but urge you to reflect on the impact of 'right-sizing' the Tasmanian public service by cutting into the staff of TMAG. I acknowledge the fine speeches of Peter George, Meg Webb, Kristie Johnston, Vica Bayley and David O'Byrne on this matter – thank you.

To those who have not yet spoken, I hope that you will allow me to explain what the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery) mean to the nation and the world.

Tasmania was the second colony but is every bit as important to the history of the nation as New South Wales. It had the first Agricultural Society and the first Royal Society, which is the foundational organisation of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Australia's second oldest natural history museum.

Museums are not simply decorative cabinets for static objects, guarded by administrators. They are research institutions, dedicated to furthering knowledge and to refreshing our understanding of the past. Researchers build this knowledge over decades, and curators are essential to the work of recording this work and translating it to the world – they are not merely managers and their roles cannot be collapsed into each other.

TMAG has been a world leader in coming to terms with its historic role in the dispossession of the First Peoples of Tasmania and the collecting of their physical remains and cultural items. For 30 years, it has been collaborating with Aboriginal people to produce excellent interpretative materials that benefit audiences all over the world and are reviving Indigenous knowledge.

The Tasmanian Herbarium represents everything positive about scientific history in Tasmania. Its specialised work is intrinsic to the work of the Australian Antarctic Division and IMAS at UTas, and world-leading. It is essential to understanding how humans may survive climate change and to biosecurity and pest control. This is vital information for farmers, fishers and foresters, as well as tourism operators.

As a historian, I would not be able to do my work without the expert staff of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. The collections were integral to my recent bestselling history book, Musquito: The Real Story of a Legendary Colonial Warrior. I visit every time I come down, to see the art collections and celebrate the unique culture of my island home and revel in the knowledge derived from our landscapes and the Southern Ocean that defines our lives. When I see the film of the last known thylacine pacing in its cage, I ponder the damage done by those who acted on assumptions and deliberately caused the extinction of a wondrous creature.

Any cut to TMAG's staff and programs threatens to extinguish knowledge and make it impossible for the institution to attract visitors and researchers. Preserve its staff so it can not only preserve the past, but keep educating audiences.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Naomi Parry Duncan

--

Dr Naomi Parry Duncan, MPHA
President
History Council of NSW Inc

Speaker, the proposed staffing cuts at TMAG and the Tasmanian Herbarium epitomise this government's short-sighted approach to so-called budget repair.  

TMAG sits on Hobart's waterfront, within easy walking distance of cruise ships, ferry terminals and the bus mall. It is a drawcard for locals and visitors alike. Combined, tourism and the arts and culture sectors contribute over $4b to our economy and employ over 60,000 Tasmanians. These are sectors built on people, and on the expertise of people like TMAG's staff. 

And TMAG is so much more than a tourist attraction. TMAG is Australia’s second oldest museum and has been at the cultural, scientific and educational heart of Tasmania since 1848.

Present and past members of TMAG's Young People's Reference Panel put it better than I can: 

"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." 

Nor should we forget TMAG's contribution to science through the Tasmanian Herbarium. I and other members of this place have received many letters expressing deep concern at the loss of scientific expertise and research. The concern reaches well beyond our shores.

Dr Frank Bungartz, Collections Manager of Lichens and Digital Data at Arizona State University's Natural History Collections, writes: 

"In times of facing a global biodiversity crisis, Tasmania cannot afford to downsize essential research on organisms that comprise more than half of its biodiversity: lichens, bryophytes, algae, and fungi. These organisms provide essential ecosystem services not only to Tasmania's diverse ecosystems, but they are globally important. Biodiversity is essential for ecosystem health of the planet and ultimately for our own survival as the human species." 

With the cuts proposed, TMAG simply will not be able to keep doing what it has done so well: maintaining, preserving, researching and interpreting the collection for future generations. 

The government will say these cuts have nothing to do with the stadium, that they're simply about "right-sizing" the public service. They say infrastructure is a one-off expense that stimulates the economy, while staff are an ongoing cost. Follow that logic through, and the message to TMAG's curators, scientists and educators is that their work is worth less to Tasmania than concrete. That is insulting, and it is wrong. 

It is also an insult to our intelligence to pretend the stadium debt sits quarantined in an infrastructure budget. The government promised the Legislative Council it would cap the state's contribution at $875 million. But that is a cap on construction, not on interest. The government's own Coordinator-General told the Public Accounts Committee that Tasmanians will pay between $45 million and $70 million a year in interest alone, without repaying a cent of the capital. 

That, Speaker, is an ongoing cost. It is paid every year, from the same budget that pays our nurses, our teachers and our museum staff. And with the final construction price still secret, and the Treasurer saying he will be "agile" about the cap, Tasmanians have every reason to fear the bill will grow. 

So here we are, defending a cultural institution being sacrificed on the altar of the AFL, alongside so much else in this state, including proper process and transparent government. 

Speaker, I share the dismay, and the anger, of so many Tasmanians at this government's spending choices, which fly in the face of expert advice and the wishes of the community.

I urge the government to reverse this short-sighted decision and properly resource TMAG and the Herbarium. 

Honourable Speaker, I acknowledge my fellow member for Franklin, Peter George, for bringing this important matter on, and welcome the Friends of TMAG and those interested in this important institution. When I heard the news about the proposed cuts for TMAG, I was outraged because there are certain institutions in Tasmania that transcend budget cycles, that hold our stories, that tell our stories, that inspire young children, that inspire people to engage with this beautiful island and our people. My experience with TMAG, like many Tasmanians, is significant. As a child growing up in Launceston in a working-class family, every school holidays our mum would pack up the kids and we'd go to the museum. Why? Because it was free. Why? Because it was interesting. Why? Because it told us about who we were, why we are here and what holds in our future. Super important.

 When I was arts minister, for a very short period of time in 2010, it was an absolute honour to have responsibility for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and our galleries around the state, and important research institutions like the Herbarium. Looking at the work of Joseph Banks in the Herbarium, this is something globally significant. That is why I urged the Premier for an urgent briefing, I met with the minister, I asked a question today in Question Time. These are institutions that transcend budget cycles. The importance of TMAG to Tasmania cannot be judged on a head count; it cannot be judged on a cycle of budgets over the forward Estimates. This is an important institution. History will judge this parliament poorly if we make short-term rash decisions. 

I was surprised that the executive CEO of TMAG was on annual leave whilst all of this was occurring. I felt that is an abrogation of their responsibility to lead TMAG staff through this consultation period. I was surprised, shocked and disappointed. When these moments confront significant institutions like TMAG, you need the leadership there to work with staff.

No part of the Tasmanian government should be above a discussion around how and why we do our work and where the budget should go. TMAG should not be excluded from that, but it should be valued above and beyond the short-term budget cycle. TMAG is an important institution. It holds so many stories. It is a part of our past, our current and contemporary life, and our future. We cannot cut it. We cannot undermine it to the point that it does not serve the purpose that this institution was created for. If that happens, we have let down — we are the current custodians of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. We cannot drop this, we cannot fumble this. It's too important an institution. I urge the government, as I've urged the Premier and the minister, to reconsider these plans. This is short-sighted and history will judge this parliament poorly if these cuts go through.

Honourable Speaker, I rise today on the matter of public importance brought to the House by Mr George, regarding the devastating cuts imposed by this government, this Treasurer and this Premier on TMAG.

Speaker, I want to put on the record the Premier’s own words when it comes to the Arts that he spoke in this house less than 12 months ago in his 2026 State of the State speech.

And I quote:

‘Speaker, in my inaugural speech in this place more than a few years ago, I said how proud I was to be shadow minister for the arts. I said then — that investment by government and business in the arts is not subsidising artistic expression. It is an investment in community development, in diversity, creativity and cultural identity. I spoke of my passionate belief that the arts empower communities. I am as dedicated today as I was then. This government has a strong record of investment in the arts. We are proud of our support for the TSO, for TMAG, and QV-MAG, along with theatres across the state.’

Speaker, the Premier spoke those words only seven months ago. Proudly crowing about his support and love for the Arts to just stand aside whilst his honourable treasurer, Mr Abetz, took to the arts sector with the red pen, to make sweeping cuts to our Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery to pay for their waste.

Speaker, I want to be clear. TMAG is not just a building or a collection of objects; TMAG is the keeper and champion of Tasmanian art, heritage, and history; a place that is free for all to visit; where it's our stories that are told and where our culture is celebrated by skilled, passionate professionals.

TMAG's current exhibition, Becoming Modern, explores the emergence of modernism in Tasmania and Australia during the twentieth century. Drawn largely from the publicly owned Tasmanian State Collection, it showcases works that reflect our state back to us, from a wide range of experiences and perspectives. For many of the works, this is their first time being exhibited.

Speaker, David Walsh traces the beginnings of Mona itself back to a childhood spent at TMAG, wandering through exhibitions like Becoming Modern.

TMAG staff have been told that the museum has been directed to reduce its workforce. That means the already lean staffing levels across specialised roles will be further depleted.

Many have decades of experience, holding knowledge that cannot be simply replaced.

Speaker, the Tasmanian Herbarium is responsible for developing, maintaining, and managing Tasmania’s official botanical collections. These collections are internationally recognised as the most comprehensive record of Tasmanian flora.

Speaker, this place; these people; are the ones who have we've entrusted to care for and tell the stories of Tasmania, and these callous cuts will have an impact on every single Tasmanian, now and into the future.

TMAG has already endured budget cuts and staffing shortages which has resulted in temporary gallery closures and reduced public access.

Speaker, cuts to TMAG will leave a lasting and irreplaceable loss.

Cutting the arts doesn't simply save money; it comes at a real cost to Tasmania. It costs jobs, access and opportunities for Tasmanian artists and our creative industries and ultimately, it's an attack on our history, our culture and our ability to tell Tasmanian stories. An attack by this government.

'Honourable Speaker, I rise to speak on a matter of significant importance to thousands of Tasmanians: the future of TMAG and the threat to its capacity to do its job as custodian of the State Collection. I thank Mr George for bringing it on. 

Over 7000 people have signed the Friends of TMAG petition, sponsored by myself on behalf of Friends committee member Ian Terry, himself a past longtime senior curator of history. That is a groundswell of concern that also packed out a public meeting. The Friends of TMAG have, for 44 years, backed TMAG with advocacy, fundraising and volunteering. Their commitment to the museum is exemplary and, to be frank, it is tragic that this commitment is not mirrored by this government. To all in the parliament here today, I acknowledge and thank you for your dedication to TMAG and to Tasmania.

To be clear, TMAG is not alone when it comes to cuts via this Budget. As we've discussed in this place, so‑called efficiencies are hitting the public service, and the services we Tasmanians need and deserve, hard. Weekly cuts are confirmed: the Inclusive Practice Team, Parks staff, Tas Fire and Emergency Service, disaster readiness and recovery, Screen Tasmania, and TMAG, amongst many others. This year's Budget carries more than $1.4 billion in so‑called efficiencies over the next four years; cuts by any other name. In an already stretched system, all job losses are untenable, but the share filtering down to TMAG is what concerns us in this debate. We await the new structure, the decision on which positions are lost, who's left to pick up the pieces and, sadly, what's going to fall through the cracks. The cracks have long been appearing. In the words of Ian:

TMAG's shoestring budget has been shortening and soon the place is going to be held together by some yellowing, old sticky tape.

TMAG holds more than a million objects across art, history, cultural heritage and natural sciences. Under law, it has statutory obligations to keep, grow, care for, exhibit and share the state collection, but it will not meet its obligations without the people on the ground with the skills to do so. This is the hidden cost of these cuts. The loss extends beyond the roles on the organisational chart and the real-world work that needs to be done by fewer people.

The impacts are worse because of the loss of expertise, knowledge and relationships. Recently, I visited the Herbarium and had the pleasure of a briefing from director Dr Gintaras Kantvilas. He's a case in point, putting aside the unworkability of combining the head of the Herb and zoology roles, dispensing with Dr Kantvilas denies TMAG, the Herbarium and Tasmania the 40 years of experience that he holds and both the expertise and international relationships that he has developed. As the state institution, this is a loss to us all and it will have ramifications, including international outrage.

The work of the Herb and the knowledge of its people underpins the application of numerous acts and the integrity and effect of our systems. An example is biosecurity and the role the Herb plays in identifying invasive weeds. In an island state with the protection water affords, cuts compromise our natural advantage.

This looks even more ludicrous, given the announcement today of the state's basketball coach as a 13‑month, $95 000 so‑called biosecurity ambassador. What even is that? According to the government, it's a campaign role, including showcasing the people who work behind the scenes to protect the state. That sounds like Dr Kantvilas and his team.

Headquartered in a heritage listed building in central Hobart, TMAG also has infrastructure challenges and in an artist panel I attended last year, buckets on the foyer floor were catching drips from a leaking roof. Similar challenges have plagued the Rosny facility. While some money has been committed and the minister tells us the foyer is fixed, we all know that TMAG's buildings are also patched together and the stains remain. They need additional investment.

A budget is a strong signal of a government's priorities, its choices and its preferences, what it cares about and what it doesn't. The irony of this government's obsession with a third AFL stadium, itself deemed by the experts to impact on the heritage values of Sullivan Cove and diminish the economic welfare of Tasmania, is an additional insult to the injury of all those who love TMAG and its place in our city.

TMAG is a treasure, holding the trove of our collective legacy and inspiring generations. It cannot afford more cuts. To inflict them is an attack on us all.'

Vica Bayley MP

Tasmanian Greens Member for Clark

Click the link below to view a video recording of Meg Webb's speech to Parliament.

TMAG MPI Speech 29102026 (with subtitles).mp4

Australian Historical Association
PO Box 1550
Macquarie Centre NSW 2113

www.theaha.org.au

26 October 2026

Parliament of Tasmania

House of Assembly

Australian Historical Association Statement on Proposed Cuts to TMAG

We write to you on behalf of the Australian Historical Association (AHA) to express our serious

concern about proposed budget cuts to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG). As the peak body for historians, the AHA advocates for the ability of all historians to produce and publicise excellent and ethical historical research, with fair access to historical resources and communities.

For over a century, TMAG has been central to the cultural, artistic, scientific and historic fabric of Tasmania. It is the guardian of the State Collection, with a legal obligation to care for approximately one million objects of inestimable value. Many are fragile and require constant vigilance and maintenance to prevent deterioration. TMAG is also acknowledged internationally for its stewardship of First Nations cultural materials from Tasmania and many Pacific Island nations. It would be unthinkable to put those relationships and the institution’s custodianship at risk.

TMAG has an outstanding reputation, which draws visitors and researchers from across the country and world. It has educated generations of Tasmanians, its collections underpinning much of Tasmania’s conservation, agricultural and biosecurity legislation.

The AHA joins widespread alarm over the consequences of the proposed cuts: an already stretched workforce will not be able to maintain its high conservation and exhibition standards.

TMAG cannot afford further funding reductions. Its infrastructure already faces challenges at both its Hobart and Rosny facilities.

We strongly plead for the House to call on the Government not only to maintain the funding of all

positions at TMAG but also invest further in TMAG’s historical buildings to ensure their adequacy into the future.

Kind regards,

Professor Kate Fullagar FAHA FRHistS
President

Professor Matthew Fitzpatrick
Vice-President

SPEECH BY PETER GEORGE, MATTER OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

29.10.26

Honourable Speaker, the proposed restructure of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is ill-conceived, inept and shows blatant disregard for the people who make TMAG what it is.

With no evidence of meaningful consultation, it’s more like the Hunger Games. Some face competing with each other for their jobs.

Some were asked to submit 500-word justifications of their roles via an online portal. Imagine: decades of internationally recognised research, public exhibitions, awards, conference papers, books and community engagement, reduced to a text box of 500 words or less.

Honourable speaker, when you walk through TMAG’s main door … or into the Herbarium … or the zoological collection … or any TMAG repository, you are walking through the front door of Tasmania, into an island history stretching back millions of years. The front door of what Tasmania is today, how we got here and where we’re going.

Now imagine that front door slammed in your face.

Honourable Speaker, Minister Jaensch’s response to my constituency question on behalf of Friends of TMAG reveals either wilful ignorance of what’s at stake … or that he’s a fantasist.

“Regardless of staff changes,” he says, “the State Collection will continue to be managed and conserved in line with the institution’s statutory obligation.”

Minister, I’ve heard first-hand from the very staff who manage and conserve these collections. The truth? TMAG may have to close its doors. Its priceless collections totalling nearly a million objects may rot in un-opened drawers.

TMAG is already grossly understaffed and chronically underfunded. Its zoology and palaeontology collections are served by one vertebrate and one invertebrate curator, each caring for around 300,000 animal specimens, both fossil and living. Incredibly, the Government plans to merge these two positions into a single curator of all non-human animals – a role Sir David Attenborough himself could not fulfil.

The Herbarium holds roughly 300,000 plant specimens collected from Tasmania and Antarctica. Last year its leader, Dr Gintaras Kantvilas, won the Premier’s STEM Researcher of the Year Award. Now, the same Premier is giving him the sack, along with half of his over-stretched team. Storied academics and institutions globally from Gdansk to Boise, Idaho to Trieste who have written to express their horror.

TMAG, Honourable Speaker, is the reference library of our island’s living world.

When the CSIRO needs to know whether a species was here a century ago — TMAG is there. When a land manager needs to know what grows in a gully before a road goes through — TMAG is there. When a biosecurity officer needs to identify an unfamiliar species — TMAG is there. When we want to understand ourselves as Tasmanians — TMAG is there.

TMAG holds 250,000 cultural objects and a library of 15,000 rare books.

Aboriginal communities see their own culture held with respect.

The curator finds the story. The photographer makes it visible. The designer makes it understandable to a ten-year-old. The librarian is a fount of knowledge.

Cut the people, break the chain of knowledge — and lose the institution.

Honourable Speaker, it beggars belief that the Government’s answer to the budget nightmare of its own making is to destroy a precious institution that is beyond value.

Honourable Speaker, this Government promised no front-line jobs were at risk because of its own financial mismanagement. TMAG is not just a front-line entity — it’s the advance guard.

It is a statutory authority that must care for collections in the public trust.

Half a million annual visitors annually make it a cultural icon and economic powerhouse.

Above all, TMAG carries something we cannot replace: our memory. We simply cannot afford to lose the guardians of that memory.

Honourable Speaker, if the Premier understands the inherent value of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, as he assures me he does, and as so many Tasmanians do, he will stop this today.

Premier, stop this today.

And then fund TMAG for what it is: the keeper of our memory, the guardian of our heritage, the front door to Tasmania and, indeed, one of the reasons the world wants to come here.

The Honourable Jeremy Rockliff MP, Premier of Tasmania, Ministers and other Members of Parliament

Dear Premier Rockliff, Ministers, and Members of Parliament,

We write on behalf of the Botany and Mycology Unit of the Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, to express our serious concern regarding the proposed restructuring of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and in particular the consequences this would have for the Tasmanian Herbarium.

The Tasmanian Herbarium is an internationally recognised research institution of exceptional importance. Its collections, staff expertise, and scientific output are central to the documentation, understanding, and conservation of Tasmania’s remarkable biodiversity. We are especially concerned by reports that the proposed changes would remove or substantially weaken key scientific and curatorial positions, including the Head of Herbarium, the Curator of Lichenology, the Curator of Bryology, and the Herbarium Administrator.

Such changes would have consequences far beyond Tasmania. Natural history collections are not merely archives of specimens; they are active research infrastructures that underpin biodiversity science, taxonomy, conservation, biosecurity, environmental monitoring, and land-use planning. At a time when biodiversity loss is recognised globally as one of the most urgent challenges facing societies, the loss of specialist expertise in institutions such as the Tasmanian Herbarium would be a serious and short-sighted step.

Researchers from our unit have worked with Tasmanian collections and have directly benefited from the expertise, accessibility, and scientific value of the Tasmanian Herbarium. These collections are of international relevance, especially for the study of plants, fungi, lichens, bryophytes, and other groups that are essential components of ecosystems but are often underrepresented in public discussion and policy. The continued care, development, and scientific interpretation of these collections require dedicated specialists with deep knowledge of the Tasmanian biota.

We would also like to highlight the long-standing scientific relationship between our institution and colleagues in Tasmania. Dr Gintaras Kantvilas, Head of the Tasmanian Herbarium and an internationally respected authority on lichenized fungi, has been a regular visitor to our collections in Helsinki. His visits have contributed to scientific exchange, collaboration, and the advancement of knowledge in lichenology and biodiversity research. His expertise is widely recognised internationally, and his contribution to Tasmanian science has also been acknowledged within Tasmania, including through the Premier’s Tasmanian STEM Researcher Award in 2025.

The proposed removal or downgrading of such expertise would severely diminish the capacity of the Tasmanian Herbarium to function as a leading research institution. A herbarium without strong scientific leadership and specialist curators risks becoming merely a storage facility, rather than a dynamic centre for discovery, documentation, and conservation. The loss of institutional knowledge would not be easily replaced, and the effects would be felt by researchers, students, conservation practitioners, government agencies, and the wider public for many years to come.

Tasmania’s biodiversity is unique and globally significant. Its documentation and protection require stable, well-supported institutions and highly trained staff. We therefore respectfully but firmly urge the Tasmanian Government to reconsider the proposed restructuring and to ensure that the Tasmanian Herbarium retains its scientific independence, leadership, curatorial expertise, and administrative support.

We ask you to recognise the Tasmanian Herbarium as an essential part of Tasmania’s scientific and cultural infrastructure, and to take the necessary steps to safeguard its future.

Thank you for considering our concerns. We would welcome a response outlining how the Government intends to protect the scientific capacity and international standing of the Tasmanian Herbarium.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of the Botany and Mycology Unit

Finnish Museum of Natural History

University of Helsinki

Finland

Dr Marko Hyvärinen, Director

Dr Teuvo Ahti, Professor Emeritus

Dr Dario Ojeda Alayon, Curator

Dr Xiaolan He, Curator

Dr Annina Kantelinen, Researcher

Dr Otto Miettinen, Curator

Dr Leena Myllys, Curator

Dr Tuula Niskanen, Senior Curator

Dr Péter Poczai, Associate Professor

Dr Jouko Rikkinen, Professor

Dr Alexander Sennikov, Curator

Dr Henry Väre, Senior Curator

Ms Saara Velmala, Senior Museum Technician