Agriculture, aquaculture, viticulture, our National Parks, world heritage areas and reserves, our quarantine barrier, the protection of our unique flora and fauna, the protection of our cultural heritage – these are just a few responsibilities of workers at Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRET).

NRET has been smashed by repeated budget cuts over decades.

In recent years there has been an over reliance on volunteers, systematic privatisation, corporatisation and politicisation, the introduction of minimum hour contracts, the exploitation of shift work; Agency policies are often inconsistent with Awards, Agreements, employer policy and the law.

Many of you do not have the resources to do the important work you’re employed to do.

There is disrespect for the important work of many NRET staff and a lack of understanding of the long-term nature of some of their work. There is a high degree of single person dependency without the commensurate respect for the expertise of these workers.