There is no denying that the communities that make up Tasmania are as diverse and particular as the unique and remarkable biodiversity on our island, but like the ever-increasing list of species on our island that are under threat, so too is our way of life. 

Just as the well-documented extinction crisis is fulled by the continual attack of Australia’s environment by the major political parties, the Tasmanian Liberal- Labor coalition is now threatening our intimate connections with our island… our coastline .. our way of life. 

What unties the diversity of our Tasmanian community is how we identify as island people. The majority of us live close to the coast, and it is not that our coast simply provides us with a broad spectrum of services (food, photography and art, fishing, surfing, swimming, bird watching, etc) or is the site of our cultural practices or spiritual experiences, but that our coast defines us. We are a broad community of shackies, yachties, divers, cold-water swimmers, fishers, surfers, beachcombers, kayakers, bird watchers, photographers, hikers, explorers, and artists – we are coastal dwellers each with a very personal connection to the coast. 

Some of us are more inclined to actively conserve, while others simply enjoy our time with friends or family doing what we do. In this day and age, we are privileged community to be able to continue to sustain our way of life along our coast essentially free from the developments that intrude upon the coastal margins and destroy the coastal biodiversity and seascapes so prevalent on the Australian mainland. 

It is of course the biodiversity and seascapes that make our photography, swimming, fishing, beachcombing, bird-watching and time spent along our coast so precious. Tasmania’s coasts are largely natural and wild, a precious refuge from the wholesale losses seen on the mainland. Mostly free from developments and industry, our coasts are – for many of us – our connection to what’s left that is wild and natural in this world, the of wild in us – the Tasmanian bit. With our good fortune comes the responsibility of us, the Tasmanian people, to protect and conserve our coastal places and our way of life. 

The integrity of Tasmania’s coast – our coast – has remained relatively intact and untouched over the past 30 years thanks to the State Coastal Policy. In contrast to recent Tasmanian Government claims, there is no doubt that this policy is precisely what has ensured, and continues to ensure, our Tasmanian way of life. Any proposed changes to the policy as intimated by the state government fundamentally threatens our coast, our way of life and our identity as a coastal and island people – the real brand “Tasmania”.