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Hobart’s Literary Status Challenges Low Literacy Rates
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network designation is a global mark of excellence, celebrating a city’s vibrant literary culture and its commitment to fostering reading, writing, and publishing.
When Hobart was awarded this status in 2023, it placed Tasmania’s capital on a world stage alongside established literary hubs like Edinburgh, Melbourne and Dublin. The accolade acknowledged the city’s rich literary ecosystem, from its deep-rooted Indigenous oral traditions and historical publishing firsts to a contemporary scene boasting a flourishing community of award-winning authors, independent publishers, and beloved bookshops.
However, this international recognition exists in stark and poignant contrast with a significant local challenge. For years, Tasmania has grappled with some of the lowest literacy and numeracy rates in Australia. This creates a compelling paradox: a city celebrated globally for its words and stories is simultaneously confronting a widespread lack of foundational reading and writing skills among its own population.
This irony, rather than undermining the award, serves to give it a dual purpose, making the UNESCO status not just a celebration of literary achievement, but a crucial platform to address a very real and pressing social issue.
Hobart celebrates World Literacy Day as a UNESCO City of Literature
The City of Hobart will commemorate World Literacy Day with a special event celebrating its designation as a UNESCO City of Literature, bringing together writers, publishers, storytellers and literacy advocates to explore the power of words in shaping communities and driving social change.
The City of Literature Forum will be held on Monday 8 September, from 17:45 to 20:30 in the Town Hall Ballroom, and is free to attend with bookings essential.
The evening will feature guest speakers from across the literary and literacy sectors, followed by a networking session.
The event will feature a diverse lineup of speakers including Theresa Sainty on palawa kani and First Nations storytelling, Jane Rawson from Island Magazine, poet Young Dawkins, and representatives from libraries, multicultural organisations, and local publishers.
Hobart’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2023 places it among a global network of cities committed to creativity as a driver of sustainable development. The city joins other literary hubs such as Edinburgh, Melbourne and Dublin in promoting reading, writing and publishing as central to civic life.
The forum is part of the City of Hobart’s Creative Hobart initiative and reflects its commitment to supporting the arts, fostering literacy, and amplifying Tasmanian stories.
“Hobart has always been a place where stories flourish — from the oral traditions of the Palawa people to the vibrant literary voices of today.
“This forum is an opportunity to celebrate our past, present and future as a city of readers, writers and publishers, and to explore how literature can be a powerful tool for inclusion, education and community building,” said Acting Hobart Lord Mayor Dr Zelinda Sherlock
“Being part of a UNESCO Creative City means recognising the value of every voice and every story,” said Hobartisan Books founder Niki Horin who will be a forum speaker at this event.
“This event is about bringing people together — writers, publishers, librarians, educators — to imagine what a truly inclusive literary future looks like for Hobart,” she said.
Bookings to the free City of Literature Forum here.
Media release – Jo Palmer MP, Minister for Education, 4 September 2025
Lifting literacy: Delivering new literacy resources for schools
New resources and supports are now available to Government school teachers as part of the Tasmanian Government’s ongoing commitment to lift literacy outcomes for all students.
Minister for Education, Jo Palmer, said literacy is an absolute priority for the Government.
“We want every child in every classroom to have the skills they need for life, and that starts with structured, evidence-based literacy instruction,” Palmer said.
“These new resources will make a real difference for both students and teachers.
“The initiative will reduce the workload on teachers by providing both curriculum support and classroom-ready resources.
“Our Liberal Government is delivering for Tasmanians, and we’re working together to move our state forward.”
A new subscription to Ochre Education teaching resources marks the next phase of this rollout, giving Government school teachers access to high-quality, curriculum-aligned materials to support structured literacy teaching.
To further support literacy instruction, Year 7 teachers will soon receive class sets of Lenny’s Book of Everything. This resource is being centrally provided to ensure every year 7 classroom has the tools to deliver engaging English lessons.
Similar teaching materials and class sets of texts will be distributed to all Government school classes from Term 4, in preparation for the 2026 school year.
Minister Palmer said the Tasmanian Government has made significant progress toward lifting literacy rates through its literacy reform, and reports from teachers confirm that the strategy is working.
“We remain committed to embedding this change, overcoming barriers, and responding to the needs of teachers on the ground, and we can already see the difference this is making for our children and young people,” Palmer said.
Media release – Jeremy Rockliff MP, Premier; Jo Palmer MP, Minister for Education, 8 September 2025
Celebrating literacy progress on International Literacy Day
The Tasmanian Government is proud to celebrate the progress being made to ensure every Tasmanian has the literacy skills they need for life this International Literacy Day.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said literacy is the foundation of learning and opportunity.
“Today is an important day to celebrate the progress we’ve made and the bright future ahead for Tasmanians,” the Premier said.
“This is a whole-of-community effort, and our Government is committed to ensuring every Tasmanian, regardless of age, background or where they’re from, has the literacy skills to succeed.”
Since work began in 2023, Tasmania has made strong progress towards improving literacy outcomes through the Lifting Literacy reforms, which are grounded in evidence-based approaches. The reforms include:
- Introducing the Kids Love to Learn 18-month Child Health Assessment, boosting early literacy and child development;
- Partnering with Tasmanian Aboriginal people and Community Controlled Organisations to shape a Tasmanian Aboriginal Literacy Strategy, ensuring meaningful change;
- Supporting teachers with targeted training and resources; and
- Establishing a School Library Improvement Team to create literacy-rich environments across government schools.
Minister for Education, Jo Palmer, said schools are seeing real results.
“Teachers are telling us that these reforms are working, and students are thriving,” Palmer said.
“We want every child in every classroom to have the skills they need for life, and that starts with structured, evidence-based literacy instruction.
“Our Government is delivering for Tasmanians, and we will continue to embed these important changes and support our educators every step of the way.”
The Tasmanian Government is continuing to build on this momentum by working with the Early Childhood Education and Care Sector to strengthen early literacy teaching and providing government school teachers with comprehensive English curriculum resources from Prep to Year 10.
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