A Parliamentary petition in response to the shocking cuts in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) has been launched today by the Friends of TMAG, a longstanding support organisation of the state institution.
The petition calls for the proposed job losses to be reversed and for a greater investment in TMAG infrastructure.
The petition, led by former TMAG Senior Curator of History Ian Terry for the Friends of TMAG, and sponsored by the Greens, is open until late November when it will be tabled Parliament.
The job losses at TMAG and how they are being rolled out is an example of similar cuts proposed across the public service. They threaten to undermine the institution’s statutory obligation to manage and preserve the state collection, making it available for research and to present it to the community.
Recent revelations of the impact of job cuts, such as axing the role of Head of the Tasmanian Herbarium, include the human impact of short notice announcements and employment uncertainty, and the loss of roles critical to TMAG fulfilling its responsibilities and meeting community expectations.
TMAG holds a vast collection of artworks and objects of critical value to Tasmania and has a place in the hearts of many. The museum’s exhibitions, collection and education programs are a source of immense pride.
Job cuts will impact on already-stretched capacity to properly maintain the State Collection and ensure TMAG can meet the obligations it has under law. The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Act 2017 sets clear objectives for the institution, and theses job cuts will threaten its ability to keep meeting them.
Job cuts across the public service are concerning a wide cross section of the community and key stakeholders, given services already struggle to meet Tasmanians’ needs. Cutting more jobs is both cruel, and nonsensical.
Petition can be found here.
