We’re for the unique Tasmanian lifestyle.

THERE is something truly magical about Tasmania. From our awe-inspiring landscapes to our friendly nature, we live in a place that casts a spell on anyone who visits. It’s a place where everyone seemingly knows everyone, where home can be less than 10 minutes from work, where our kids can safely walk to and from school, and where we expect we’ll get a park right outside our favourite shop. We live on the edge of one of the world’s great remaining wildernesses, and where we’re never more than an hour or two from some of the best beaches anywhere.

These magical aspects of our lifestyle are our greatest asset. But they also lead to our biggest challenge. As more people experience what our little island is really like, the more they want to come back … and stay. And so the key question for all of us is how can we best balance the inevitability of progress and population growth while staying uniquely Tasmanian.

At the Mercury, we’re like you - we live and love this unique lifestyle. We know Tasmania is the best place in the world to live. But things are changing. And while change is difficult, we need to work together to ensure we protect what we love while welcoming anyone who wants to visit or make a life here. This requires vision. It requires planning. And it requires conversation.

We consider this a key part of the Mercury’s role in the Tasmanian community – to offer our newspaper and website as a forum where we can talk to each other about the challenges we face. This is nothing new. Throughout the 164 years that we have served this community, the Mercury has always been at the forefront of bringing Tasmanians together to map out a better future. The very first editorial, on Wednesday, July 5, 1854, expressed the hope that the Mercury could be an “agent to … join in that unanimous feeling which mumust actuate our colonists … which, if pursued and ppreserved uninterrupted will prove union to be strength and enable us to surmount all the mountains of difficulty”. In other words, the goal was to be a publication through which Tasmanians could unite as we built a lifestyle the envy of the world. And so this will always be – and has always been – at the heart of the Mercury’s mission. In recent years, we’ve used our influence to go into bat for our devils and our wombats, for a high rise-free Hobart city skyline, and for transport solutions to the challenges facing our capital city. We’ve also put pressure on our political leaders to look beyond the fouryear electoral cycle and plan for a better future. Because at the Mercury, we believe in progress. But we also believe in protecting the magic of Tasmania, and for ensuring that as a community we don’t ever take this place for granted.

Tasmania, we’re for you.