‘too many Cooks’ – an online exhibition will celebrate connection to country and cultural survival while questioning dominant Anglocentric Australian history, 250 years following Captain James Cook’s visit to Australia. The Too Many Cooks online exhibition will go live on Saturday 22 August, the date that Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the British Crown in 1770. The exhibition will feature 54 artworks, including more than 40 artworks from the University of Tasmania’s Fine Art Collection, such as recent acquisitions The Conquest (2013) by Rew Hanks and Canoe (2013) by Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder Rex Greeno. Greeno, upon retiring from a 40-year career as a fisherman, turned to constructing traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal canoes which had not been seen in lutruwita/Tasmania since the early 19th century. Canoe is a scale replica of these unique paperbark watercraft.
“We want to show artworks which are not usually available to a wide audience, and an online exhibition spurred by COVID-19 also enables people to access the exhibition nationally and internationally,” co-curator and University Fine Art Collection Registrar Rachael Rose said. On loan from artist Julie Gough is her video work Tomalah (2015), filmed on Bruny Island. “This work links us to Cook’s erroneous navigation, missing the Tasmanian coastline mapped by Abel Tasman 130 years before and only finding Van Diemen’s Land on his third voyage in 1777,” co-curator Professor Greg Lehman said.
“Against the backdrop of Cook commemorations, Australian artists continue to spotlight unresolved social issues such as Black deaths in custody and emphasise the strength and continuity of Aboriginal culture and the ongoing struggle for justice.”
Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar.
new Assistant Police Commissioner – Adrian Bodnar has recently been appointed as Assistant Commissioner of Tasmania Police. He has almost three decades’ experience across various specialist investigation roles, including deployments to East Timor in 2000 and 2006, Australian Federal Police, Professional Standards Command and the Criminal Investigation Branch and he has more recently played the important role of Manager, State Control Centre assisting in coordinating the whole of government response to COVID-19.
“I would like to wish him all the best in the Assistant Commissioner Specialist Support role, as he works with Tasmania Police to help keep all Tasmanians safe,” said Minister for Police Mark Shelton. “Assistant Commissioner Bodnar has demonstrated an inclusive and supportive leadership style, embracing collaboration, respect, trust and accountability,” said
Police Commissioner Darren Hine. AC Bodnar also has broad academic qualifications including a Bachelor of Arts with Professional Honours (Leadership and Public Sector Management) from the University of Tasmania as well as a Graduate Certificate in Applied Management (Policing and Emergency Services) from the Australian Institute of Police Management.
child safety during COVID-19 – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader and spokesperson for Children, said we deserve an explanation as to why vulnerable children were unable to access safe accommodation or key support services through the height of Tasmania’s COVID-19 outbreak. Data released by Anglicare’s Social Action and Research Centre shows that, despite warnings from child safety staff and the Greens, children in the child safety system were pushed into even more precarious circumstances than normal once COVID-19 restrictions came into effect. As early as 20 March, O’Connor said, the Greens highlighted concerns of staff in the child protection system, who described the response to COVID-19 as ‘chaotic’ and lacking any direction.
“We urged the Minister (for Human Services) to take these concerns seriously, and to implement a plan to ensure Tasmanian children were not subjected to increased risk,” said O’Connor. The data released by Anglicare demonstrates why staff were so concerned, and raises serious questions about whether the Minister ever took meaningful action to address these issues.” She said the Greens had recently written to Minister Jaensch asking him to clarify whether the government developed a plan to deal with the impact of COVID-19 on the child safety system, and what additional resources, support, and other measures were put in place in this period. “This is extremely worrying. It’s unclear whether the situation has been resolved. The Minister should be open with the community about what action he took to protect and support these vulnerable children, and explain why these measures failed to protect them.”
field study centres – “Tasmanian students will once again be encouraged to explore, experiment and learn with Field Study Centres re-opening across the state,” announced Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training, this week. Field Study Centres provide opportunities for students to engage in the environment through hands on experiences in specialist learning facilities.
“The 2020-21 Physical Wellbeing and the Environment Action Plan released in May 2020 recognises the important elements that contribute to physical wellbeing,” said Rockliff. “These centres are a key element of the Plan, as they bring together experiential learning, meaningful engagement and purpose built facilities with expert support for all learners.” For more information regarding our Field Study Centres see here.
There are 5 individual FSC’s in Tasmania which provide unique offerings: Hagley Farm School Visitor Centre; Molesworth Environment Centre; Mount Cameron Field Study Centre; Sustainability Learning Centre; and Woodbridge Marine Discovery Centre.
Team building at Molesworth Environment Centre.
HASI – Tasmanians living with mental illness are being supported through the Housing and Accommodation Support Initiative (HASI) pilot program, providing clinical and psychosocial rehabilitation supports linked with stable housing and supported accommodation. “HASI is based on a successful program in New South Wales, which found that when housing was linked to appropriate clinical and rehabilitation support, people were better able to overcome the often debilitating effects of mental illness and live more independent lives,” said Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing. Currently 16 people are being supported through the pilot, which is targeted at people living in southern Tasmania in public or community tenancies who are experiencing mental ill-health and require integrated services to help them transition to independent living. The two-year trial is a partnership between the Department of Health, Department of Communities Tasmania, and Colony47, with all services working together to provide specialist clinical mental health care, public housing and psychosocial support. “The Tasmanian Government is investing $1 million into HASI over two years as part of our commitment to increasing access to mental health services and enabling better recovery outcomes for Tasmanians, their families and friends,” Rockliff said.
Sarah Lovell MLC, Shadow Minister for Mental Health, said that Tasmanians living with mental illness being supported by the government’s HASI pilot program deserve answers about their long-term future. She noted that as the HASI pilot trial progressed, the government was yet to announce a long-term plan to continue supporting the 16 Tasmanians taking part, as well as many others who would benefit from this model. “HASI is not a new announcement – the funding was earmarked in the last two budgets, and the program has been running during this time in its pilot stage,” Lovell said. “It may still be early days for the trial, but the money has been spent, and the government is yet to provide any confirmation about what will happen to the program once this pilot stage is over. What happens to the 16 people currently taking part in this trial once it ends?” Labor is calling on the government to commit to ongoing funding for the HASI project so these Tasmanians aren’t left without support at the end of the pilot, and to ensure the future of this program after the trial period ends. “We need long-term solutions to support Tasmanians living with mental illness – a two year trial isn’t enough,” she concluded.
insurance for small business – there is a growing trend of insurance companies refusing to provide cover to small businesses, or charging sky-high prices for protection, according to Clark MHR Andrew Wilkie. “I recently met with the Manager of Huon River Jet Boats, Mr John Allport, who has been advised by his liability insurance underwriters that they are no longer prepared to offer cover,” he stated. “Neither are the thirty-five other underwriters his broker has approached since. This is simply not good enough. Without adequate insurance a number of companies, including Huon River Jet Boats, may be forced to close permanently.”
Wilkie believes that functioning small businesses, and those in the tourism industry in particular, will be essential for Tasmania’s economic recovery post-COVID. “Governments must step up and create a safe environment for small businesses to work in, including by ensuring they are able to access effective and affordable insurance. To that end I have lobbied the Tasmanian Premier to support the establishment of something akin to New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation.” (see below)
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has launched an inquiry into the impacts of insurance policies on small businesses, and whether insurance products offered to small businesses are fit-for-purpose. Small businesses that have faced difficulties with insurance companies are encouraged to tell their story by completing the survey at: https://www.asbfeo.gov.au/
