Partnering for sustainability

The University wants to ensure that its considerable sustainability expertise and capabilities contribute to shaping practices and policy across Tasmania and beyond. Reflecting this goal, the Tasmanian Policy Exchange (TPE) was established in 2020 to make timely and informed contributions to important policy issues for Tasmania’s future – including improving sustainability outcomes across the state.

The TPE has been tasked with coordinating key elements of the University’s community, industry, and parliamentary engagement on climate and sustainability policy. We do this by drawing on the diverse research and expertise of staff and students across the University, from law and education to climate science and engineering.

We are driving the University’s efforts to inform the sustainability debate in Tasmania with compelling evidence and incisive analysis.

This work has taken many forms and involved a multitude of wonderful and committed colleagues. It has ranged from detailed submissions on Tasmania’s Renewable Energy Strategy and frameworks for planning new renewable energy projects, to whether and how hydrogen should be part of Tasmania’s future energy mix.

As part of the review of Tasmania’s Climate Change Act, we drew on the expertise of our world-leading climate scientists to develop a blueprint for a ‘climate-positive’ strategy for the state. As part of this process, a group of our environmental law graduates proposed amendments to the Act that were central to the subsequent parliamentary debate.

As a result of this and other work across the organisation, the University has been able to play a key role in re-framing and broadening the climate policy debate in Tasmania. We have advanced clear strategies to decarbonise our economy and maintain the state’s world leading net-zero emissions profile, to drive innovation, and to future-proof Tasmanian industries in an increasingly carbon-conscious world.

As a University deeply committed to climate action and the State’s future prosperity, we must continue to work with government, industry and the wider community on this critically important agenda.

Reflecting this commitment, the TPE has been working with the Tasmanian Government to develop Tasmania’s first state sustainability strategy. Many in our community want to live more sustainably but are unsure about how best to play their part, while businesses and organisations across the island are also committed to improving the sustainability of their operations.

We believe a unified, comprehensive sustainability strategy for Tasmania will help coordinate and support these efforts with a clear goal of establishing Tasmania as an international exemplar of sustainability practice.

The University’s contribution to developing a whole-of-state sustainability strategy is not only a practical example of our commitment to promoting sustainability across the state, but also demonstrates an innovative way to maximise the broader impact of our research and wider expertise. We recognise that we need to develop new and more responsive and collaborative ways of working with partners in order to tackle the many challenges and opportunities which lie ahead, including sustainability. This need to support government and industry partners is even more acute in a small state like Tasmania.

We have built partnerships and helped frame the discussion around sustainability, but there is still much work to be done. It is essential that Tasmania’s key industries are future-proofed, to ensure that expanding agricultural production, renewable energy development and other industries don’t come at the expense of the Tasmanian environment and the wellbeing of future generations. As a university we are committed to working with the Tasmanian community to achieve this shared goal.

Richard Eccleston is a Professor of Political Science and Director, Tasmanian Policy Exchange.

Main image: Tasmanian Vegetable Research Farm, Forth