Island intersections: a correspondence about educational research in Tasmania

Tasmania: an island place Positioned at 41° south of the equator, Tasmania is the only island state of Australia. The state covers a land area of over 68,000 km2, of which half is currently in national or state reserves. Approximately 530,000 people live in Tasmania, with half of residents living in the greater Hobart precinct (Government of Tasmania, 2019). The median age of Tasmanians is 40, and, the percentage of children under 15 years of age in the community has decreased from 22% in 1996 to 18% in 2014 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Hydroindustrialisation, agriculture, and resource extraction are major contributors to the Tasmanian economy, while the largest industries for employment include health care and social assistance (12%), retail trade (11.3%), public administration and safety (9%), followed closely by education and training (8.9%) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013; Government of Tasmania, 2017; Stratford, 2008).