Proposed Staff Cuts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG)

The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ), representing hundreds of professional art historians, researchers, curators, artists and art writers across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, is deeply concerned about the proposed staff cuts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), and the lack of transparency about how many positions may be lost and which services will be affected.

AAANZ members based in Tasmania and across the region regard TMAG as a critically important institution. It is a key part of Tasmania’s cultural and research infrastructure, supporting not only tourism but also significant research projects, education and training across a range of fields. TMAG staff are vital to the state’s arts ecosystem. Their engagement with teachers and students supports education at all levels, while arts researchers draw on TMAG’s collections and exhibitions to inform their work.

Cultural infrastructure is crucial to the healthy functioning of our societies, and specialist staff are central to this. The work undertaken by museum and gallery professionals deepens our understanding of our collective histories and cultures, strengthens our sense of shared identity and civic understanding, and contributes to the preservation of our heritage. Museums and galleries are not simply buildings or collections of objects, but repositories of deep expertise and knowledge. Our cultural institutions require specialist staff with secure employment to ensure the continuity of expertise and ongoing public engagement.

Once specialist staff and institutional knowledge are lost, they are difficult or impossible to replace. Reducing staff would damage TMAG’s ability to serve visitors now and to safeguard the collections entrusted to it for the future.

AAANZ publicly opposes these cuts, supports TMAG staff, and calls for any decisions about the museum’s future to be made openly, with proper consideration of the consequences for Tasmania’s heritage, communities and visitors.

Support TMAG – Sign the Petition

The Friends of TMAG have established a parliamentary petition opposing the proposed staff cuts. AAANZ encourages members residing in Tasmania to support the petition.

Sign the Parliamentary Petition – Tasmanian Residents

Dr Katrina Grant
President, Art Association of Australia and New Zealand

Dr Karen Hall
Tasmanian Representative, AAANZ Executive Committee

You can learn more about the cuts here, here and here.

The Friends of TMAG have also provided a letter template for people outside of Tasmania to adapt and send to relevant MPs. See below:

LETTER TEMPLATE

Proposed staff cuts at TMAG

I am writing to urge you to oppose the proposed staff cuts at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), and to call for full transparency about how many positions may be lost and which services will be affected.

TMAG is not only one of Tasmania’s most important cultural institutions; it is also a working museum, art gallery and herbarium responsible for caring for nearly one million items in the State Collection. The combination of TMAG’s collections and staff is an outstanding asset that provides cultural and economic value to Tasmanians (TMAG is one of Tasmania’s most visited attractions). Its value depends on both the exhibitions the public sees and the specialist work that happens behind the scenes. Cuts to exhibition and education staff would mean fewer, poorer or more limited public programs, displays and visitor experiences. Cuts to back-of-house jobs would put at risk the careful conservation, cataloguing, research, loans, legal obligations and expert knowledge needed to protect Tasmania’s cultural, scientific and First Peoples heritage for future generations.

These roles are not optional extras. Once specialist staff and institutional knowledge are lost, they are difficult or impossible to replace. Reducing staff would damage TMAG’s ability to serve visitors now and to safeguard the collections entrusted to it for the future. I ask you to publicly oppose these cuts, support TMAG staff, and ensure that any decisions about the museum’s future are made openly, with proper consideration of the consequences for Tasmania’s heritage, communities and visitors.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name, address and phone number]

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NON-TASMANIAN RESIDENTS

For non-residents there is an option of writing to a long list of Parliamentarians:

Tasmanian State Government Parliamentarians

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