Labor is demanding the state government reveal how many jobs will be cut at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, accusing the Liberals of hiding the true scale of the reductions.
Opposition leader Josh Willie said he has been receiving emails “almost daily” about the cuts and called on Arts Minister Roger Jaensch to be upfront with the public.
“It’s not 19 jobs. How many jobs is it and how is it going to impact TMAG’s operations?” Willie said.
“They have an efficiency target in their own words. They can be upfront about what that means for jobs and services here at TMAG.”
Willie said the government had been “using tricky words to avoid accountability”.
He said Arts Minister Roger Jaensch had denied the cuts would amount to 30% of the workforce without explaining what the actual figure would be.
The Community and Public Sector Union has said staff were told at an online meeting that 19.7 full-time-equivalent positions would go by the end of the financial year.
The union says that represents around 30% of the workforce.
Shadow Arts Minister Meg Brown said the cuts would damage Tasmania’s reputation as a leader in the arts sector.
“These cuts will do nothing for the creative people that we have here in Tasmania,” Brown said.
“We owe it to Tasmanians, not just now but into the future, not to dismantle the arts and to make sure that these institutions are there for generations to come.”
Willie linked the TMAG reductions to broader cuts across the creative sector.
He pointed to the scrapping of TasTAFE courses in screen and media, graphic design and fashion, along with reduced support for Screen Tasmania.
The reported cuts come as the government works to reduce state debt, which topped $6 billion this year.
Treasurer Eric Abetz is aiming for around 1,800 job cuts by 2032.
The state government has rejected claims TMAG had been directed to cut staff by 30%, calling the allegation ‘entirely false’.
Minister Bridget Archer said the government has “been very clear that there does need to be a rightsizing of the public service.”
“We are seeking to do that by way of targeted voluntary redundancies,” she said.
