Omission of Tasmania from maps of Australia

The Australian island state of Tasmania is occasionally omitted from maps of Australia. Such omissions often provoke outrage from Tasmanians.

Map of Australia with Tasmania highlighted.

1982 Commonwealth Games

During the 1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, performers created a map of Australia that omitted Tasmania.[1] Tasmanian poet Andrew Sant wrote "Off the Map" in response:

Performers making a map of Australia (excluding Tasmania) during the 1982 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

Identity deleted,
Close to the Continent
Who wouldn't make a fuss?
There have been wars for less...[2]

2014 Commonwealth Games

The Australian swim team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games were issued training swimsuits with a stylised design featuring maps of Australia, along with kangaroos and emus. The animals obscured Tasmania, and the design was criticized for leaving Tasmania off the map. Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman called the omission "un-Australian and unforgivable".[1]

Other incidents
Tasmania is reduced to just a smudge in this cartogram of organic farming in Australia.[3]
  • Australian athletes at the 1956 Summer Olympics, held in Melbourne, Australia, wore tracksuits that featured a map of Australia excluding Tasmania.[4]
  • In 2000 the island was left off the Australian map in some of the official literature for the Sydney Olympics.[5]
  • Tasmania was omitted from the map of Australia shown on some promotional posters of the 2008 film Australia.[1]
  • In 2012, Arnott's Biscuits produced a biscuit in the shape of mainland Australia.[6]
  • In 2013, South Australia adopted a logo that also omitted Tasmania.[7]
  • In 2016, Woolworths Supermarkets were forced to withdraw Australia Day caps from sale which featured a map of Australia without Tasmania.[8]
  • In 2018 academics from Australia and Iceland published a density-equalizing map of Australia derived from organic farming statistics. Tasmania appeared as just a vestigial presence and the authors explained that this was because of the relatively small number of certified organic hectares compared to other states.[3]
  • In 2019 Thins Crisps released a Pie & Sauce flavour crisps which had a map of Australia with Tasmania omitted on the package.[9]

See also

References
  1. Hope, Emma (25 July 2014). "We demand an apology for snub after Tasmania is left off the map again". The Mercury. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  2. Shakespeare, Nicholas (2010). In Tasmania: Adventures at the End of the World. p. 26. ISBN 9781407074153. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  3. Paull, John & Hennig, Benjamin (2018) " Maps of Organic Agriculture in Australia", Journal of Organics, 5 (1), 29–39.
  4. Image of Shirley Strickland in her Australian tracksuit at the 1956 Olympic Games
  5. http://bluffers.com/tasmania/
  6. Jones, Grant (13 January 2012). "Tasmania is missing from inside a box of Australia-shaped biscuits by Arnott's Shapes". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  7. Usher, Melanie. "South Australia New State logo". HIT 107. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  8. Calligeros, Marissa (20 January 2016). "Woolworths forced to withdraw Australia Day merchandise after leaving Tasmania off hats". The Age. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  9. Tassie Left Out Again, retrieved 2020-02-28
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