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An examination of the relative breakdown rates of unused toilet paper, facial tissues and tampons was undertaken in nine different environments typical of Tasmanian natural areas. Bags of the paper products (toilet paper, facial tissues, tampons) were buried for periods of 6, 12 and 24 months at depths of 5 and 15 cm. A nutrient solution simulating human body wastes was added to half of the samples, to test the hypothesis that the addition of nutrients would enhance the breakdown of paper products buried in the soil. Mean annual rainfall was the most important measured variable determining mean breakdown in the nutrient addition treatment between sites, with high rainfall sites (mean annual rainfall of greater than 650 mm) recording less decayed products than the drier sites (mean annual rainfall of 500-650 mm). Temperature and soil organic content were important influences on the breakdown of the unfertilised products. Toilet paper and tissues decayed more readily than tampons. Nutrient addition enhanced decay for all products across all sites. Depth of burial was not important in determining the degree to which products decayed. In alpine environments, burial under rocks at the surface did not increase the speed of decay of any product. The Western Alpine site, typical of alpine sites in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, showed very little decay over the two-year period, even for nutrient enhanced products. Management prescriptions should be amended to dissuade people from depositing human toilet waste in the extreme (montane to alpine) environments in western Tasmania. Tampons should continue to be carried out as currently prescribed.

Disposing of sludge recovered from the effluent stream of pulp and paper mills has traditionally involved landfilling. Shortages in landfill space and increasingly stringent environmental regulations in many countries have forced the industry to seek alternative disposal options. We assessed the feasibility of compost‐recycling a primary pulp and paper mill sludge (PMS) for use as a nutrient‐releasing mulch in plantation forestry. The effects of the composted PMS on the growth, nutrition, water relations, and weed suppression in a 3‐yr‐old plantation of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D.Don) on an infertile sandy soil in southern Tasmania were assessed. Compost was applied to the surface without incorporation in 0.5‐m wide bands in tree rows at rates of 0, 20, 40, and 60 metric t ha−1 (dry matter). One year after application of compost, the percentage increase in stem diameter was 40 to 66% greater than that achieved in untreated plots, with better growth at the highest compost application rate. Improved growth of radiata pine after application of compost was primarily attributable to a 17 to 37% increase in the concentration of foliar N and to decreased water stress in amended plots. Nitrogen released from the compost was mostly absorbed by plant roots within the first 20 cm of the soil profile, with no significant movement beyond this depth range. Application of compost prepared from PMS to young stands of radiata pine was found to be an acceptable recycling alternative for this material, capable of improving plantation productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of archival resources related to labor history available in the parliamentary papers of the then-colonies of Tasmania and Western Australia from the second half of the 19th century, organized into topical sections such as immigration, convict labor, railways, and public works.

Pulp and paper is a major impact industry, in which environmental impacts can be seen to be complex, diverse and characterised by uncertainty and interdependence. A greening process within this industry requires wide ranging environmental knowledge. Also fundamental are effective networks for information exchange and greening is therefore dependent on changes to such networks. This study investigates the issue of how greening occurs, focusing on the process at the Fletcher Challenge New Zealand integrated pulp and paper mill situated in Tasmania, Australia. It was seen that effective greening within this industry relies on information processing capabilities to access external and internal knowledge and skills, and that this is fundamentally dependent on structural arrangements. Appropriate organisational structure and external networks are therefore essential for accessing information and facilitating its dissemination and integration, thereby enhancing the firm's ability to address environmental concerns. The study highlights interaction between the formal change process, one which sought limited change, and an informal change process that continued greening the company beyond the official aims. The reasons for this are located in the power of informal information exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment organic loading has been shown to affect estuarine nitrification and denitrification, resulting in changes to sediment biogeochemistry and nutrient fluxes detrimental to estuarine health. This study examined the effects of organic loading on nutrient fluxes and microbial communities in sediments receiving effluent from a paper and pulp mill (PPM) by applying microcosm studies and molecular microbial ecology techniques. Three sites near the PPM outfall were compared to three control sites, one upstream and two downstream of the outfall. The control sites showed coupled nitrification-denitrification with minimal ammonia release from the sediment. In contrast, the impacted sites were characterised by nitrate uptake and substantial ammonia efflux from the sediments, consistent with a decoupling of nitrification and denitrification. Analysis of gene diversity demonstrated that the composition of nitrifier communities was not significantly different at the impacted sites compared to the control sites; however, analysis of gene abundance indicated that whilst there was no difference in total bacteria, total archaea or ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) abundance between the control and impacted sites, there was a significant reduction in ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) at the impacted sites. The results of this study demonstrate an effect of organic loading on estuarine sediment biogeochemistry and highlight an apparent niche differentiation between AOA and AOB.

Once discouraged or viewed as dangerous, Masters athletes are now seen as exemplars of how people should age. This paper qualitatively examines the sporting pathways, embodied experiences and the moral formation of ageing identities among 'young-old' athletes competing in the 16th Australian Masters Games. Held in regional Tasmania (Australia), the Games attracted over 5000 participants competing across 47 sports over an 8-day period. Contributing to a critical body of scholarship on Masters athletes, the paper shows that class and gender inequality shape processes of becoming and being a Masters athlete that are rarely acknowledged in the 'heroic ageing' accounts the participants narrate. Further, the paper develops a unique spatial perspective on Masters sport that recognises the potential of the Games to disrupt place-based stigma but also identifies its class dimensions both as a site of middle-class shame and consumer opportunity for affluent sports tourists. We draw upon Allen-Collinson's concept of 'intense embodiment' to spotlight the sensory pleasures, pain and injuries of training and competing as an older athlete but also as an important lens for analysing the construction of ageing moral identities that can stigmatise and exclude the inactive old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inscription of properties on the World Heritage List often places restrictions on existing livelihoods. In these contexts, tourism is widely held to be a panacea for the economic and social wellbeing of local communities. Ecotourism, in particular, is regarded as addressing both environmental and social needs of communities. However, existing research demonstrates that tourism seldom delivers benefits to Indigenous peoples or local communities in developing countries. This paper suggests that such limitations are equally problematic for local communities in developed nations such as Australia. Through ethnographic research including participant observation and interviews, this paper describes the impacts of tourism on the local community of Strahan, a small logging, fishing, and mining town that transformed into a tourism village following the World Heritage listing of Southwest Tasmania. We suggest that contrary to the widely held view that tourism created employment and economic growth in the town, locals experience diminished quality of life, limited opportunities, and reduced amenity and services. This suggests that ecotourism overlooks its responsibilities for local communities in developed countries, with profound consequences for social sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 1865 British Imperial governments had accepted that colonial courts had the authority to invalidate colonial statutes which contravened the relevant colony's constitution. This situation arose notwithstanding the lack of any express grant of such jurisdiction to colonial courts in Imperial or colonial legislation. This paper evaluates the first instance of a colonial court asserting that jurisdiction, during the Dog Act crisis in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) in the 1840s. Part one of the paper charts the background to, conduct of and judgment in the relevant litigation. The second part, which will appear in a future issue of this journal, explores the consequential attempts of the colony's Governor to remove the judges from office and to re-enact the invalidated colonial law. The suggestion made is that the Dog Act controversy provides considerable insight into how, despite the absence of any explicit statutory grant of such jurisdiction, the power of judicial review of colonial legislation by colonial courts became established as an orthodox element of British colonial constitutional law in the latter nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times there has been a population turnaround in the island state of Tasmania sparked by an increase in in-migration of mainland urban dwellers. This paper argues that one of the major driving factors of this change is the quest for a new lifestyle in regional/rural life, that incorporates a desire for a temperate climate. As literature in lifestyle migration shows, this quest for a new life does not end once migration is over. Rather, the migration experience continues well after the move. In this paper, it will be shown how weather not only attracts migrants into Tasmania, but then encourages/discourages certain activities allowing the individual to engage in new ways of living. The paper suggests that while we need to be careful about romanticising this, we can potentially view this shift as emblematic of people's relationship to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through European colonization, First Nations peoples were subjected to systematic and violent actions to dispossess them of their land and sovereignty. In Tasmania, this involved government-sponsored bounties as well as militaristic and diplomatic efforts to remove Indigenous peoples from the landscape. At the same time, and using similar rhetoric, thylacines (Thylacinus cynocephalus (Harris, 1808)) suffered similarly from settler colonists. Thylacines (also known as Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian wolves) were the largest marsupial carnivores of modern times, but became extinct in the twentieth century. There are several parallels between the treatment and representation of thylacines and Indigenous Tasmanian people, and how their remains were traded. This allows for analysis of how the environmental and human costs of the colonial project were enmeshed with practices of natural history. A central figure in the export of both thylacines and Indigenous remains from Tasmania was Morton Allport (1830–1878). This paper shows that Allport actively built his scientific reputation by exchanging specimens for honours. It asks whether this was a widespread model for other colonial figures who may have used specimen-based philanthropy to develop a form of soft power through associations with respected institutions such as learned societies, universities and museums. Figures like Allport played the role of a type of colonial settler-intermediary, valued for providing privileged access to specimens to the metropole. Allport also worked to augment scientific work in Tasmania and the economic reputation of the colony, demonstrating that the development of social networks and scientific reputations of colonial figures were entwined with the status and success of the colonies themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jenny Davis was among the first small, but significant tranche of women field biologists in the Pacific Region. She was born in Tasmania and developed a fascination with freshwater systems at an early age. Despite the paucity of female role models, freshwater ecology evolved into her research career track at the University of Tasmania where she completed her Honours degree (Zoology; 1976) and PhD (Freshwater Ecology; 1981). Jenny started her first academic position as a Tutor at Murdoch University in 1985. She successfully moved through the academic hierarchy where women continue to be under-represented in the senior ranks. She recently (2021) retired from her administrative and teaching responsibilities at Charles Darwin University (CDU) and approaching 70, is currently a Professor of Freshwater Ecology at CDU. An over-arching theme of her research is to understand the factors influencing the persistence of groundwater and surface water ecosystems. She has worked on the impacts of multiple stressors on springs, wetlands and arid zone waterbodies. She serves as a compelling role model for young scientists struggling to have a satisfying work-life balance. Jenny single-parented a son while conducting field work, teaching, publishing, serving as an academic administrator and being a prolific and successful grant writer. Jenny was also an exceptional mentor to a diverse group of students and post-docs, many of whom have thriving careers in academia, government and industry across Australia. This paper is a biography of a woman who with talent and persistence successfully broke gender barriers in Australian freshwater ecology and academia. Jenny Davis was among the first small, but significant tranche of female field biologists in the Pacific Region. Jenny is one of the few women to be promoted to the academic rank of Professor in Australian sciences. Her current research involves answering two questions: (1) how much water does the environment need; and (2) how important are isolated aquatic waterbodies for the conservation of Australia's freshwater biota? This paper is a brief biography of Jenny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We synthesise the findings from 10 years of ecological restoration in the Midlands of Tasmania, Australia, captured in the series of 14 papers in this special issue of Ecological Management and Restoration. The papers illustrate how expertise from disciplines as diverse as law, economics, social sciences, the arts, education, zoology, botany, genetics, climate modelling, agriculture, spatial sciences and fire ecology are necessary to address the complex social, ecological and financial questions that underpin restoration ecology. We highlight the complexity of the task, the multi‐disciplinary and collaborative approach needed, the importance of science to inform restoration practice and the problem of achieving functional connectivity. We also outline steps that need to be taken in the next 10 years. Together, the outcomes and recommendations from these studies provide a template for restoration in similar highly cleared and degraded agricultural landscapes affected by climate change in Australia and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: At the dawn of the Anthropocene, with the imminent threat of climate change delivering 3–4°C rise in temperature by the end of the century and biodiversity loss across the globe, restoration projects need to focus on re‐establishing connectivity in vegetation structure at a landscape scale to facilitate the movement of wildlife. To achieve this requires long‐term commitment, robust partnerships and planning and excellent planting technology underpinned by research. In this Special Issue, consisting of 15 papers, we present a multidisciplinary, multi‐institutional, science‐based approach to environmental restoration, focused on a single geographic region, the Midlands of Tasmania. This introductory paper describes the breadth of the material covered in the series and sets the scene for following papers by describing the Midlands, its geography, climate and history, its extraordinary natural values as a biodiversity hotspot, the degree of degradation that has resulted from 200 years of intensive farming and the objectives of the Midlands restoration project. The Midlands also offers opportunities as a model system for landscape scale restoration given it is a circumscribed region, heterogeneous in land forms and land uses. Furthermore, in land management, there is a high level of cooperation between land owners, government departments, environmental agencies and university researchers. We describe how the contributions from a wide range of disciplines can be focused to meet the challenges of ecological restoration in highly altered agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solute dynamics depend strongly on hydrologic flow paths and transit times within catchments. In this paper, we use a travel time tracking method to simulate stream salinity (as measured by electrical conductivity) in the Duck River catchment, NW Tasmania, Australia. The study couples storage selection function transit time modelling with two alternate approaches to model electrical conductivity (EC). The first approach assumes the catchment has a cyclic salt balance (i.e., rainfall source, stream flow sink) that is in dynamic equilibrium and evapoconcentration of salt is the only process changing concentration. The second approach assumes that the salinity of water in catchment storages is a function of water age in those stores, without explicitly simulating salt mass balance processes. The paper compares these alternate approaches in terms of EC simulation performance, simulated stream water age distributions, and simulated storage age distributions. A split sample calibration‐validation analysis was conducted using the 2008 and 2009 water years. Both EC simulation approaches reproduced stream EC variations very well under both calibration and validation. The simulations using the age‐related EC simulation approach produced less biased results and, consequently, higher model coefficient of efficiency for validation periods. This approach also produced more consistent model parameter estimates between periods. There were systematic differences in the resultant age distributions between models, particularly for the solute balance‐based simulations where parameters (catchment storage size) changed more between the two calibration periods. The effect of time varying versus static storage selection functions were compared, with clear evidence that time varying storage selection functions with parameters linked to catchment conditions (flow) are essential for adequate simulation of EC dynamics during flow events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents equations for fuel load and fuel hazard rating (FHR) models based on the time since last fire for dry eucalypt forests in eastern Tasmania. The fuel load equations predict the load of the surface/near-surface and elevated fine fuel. The FHR equations predict the surface, near-surface, combined surface and near-surface, bark, and overall FHR. The utility of the "Overall fuel hazard assessment guide" from Victoria, Australia, is assessed for Tasmanian dry eucalypt forests: we conclude that, when fuel strata components are weighted according to their influence on fire behaviour, the Victorian guide provides a rapid, robust, and effective methodology for estimating FHR. The equations in this paper will be used for operational planning and on-the-ground performing of hazard reduction burning, prediction of fire behaviour for fire risk assessments and bushfire control, and providing inputs into the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jack Jumper ant venom allergy is a uniquely Australian medical issue. The stinging ant is a leading cause of insect venom allergy in south‐eastern Australia. An effective venom immunotherapy‐based treatment was successfully developed by the Tasmanian Jack Jumper Allergy Research group. This paper provides a synopsis of our 25 years' research journey in developing this evidence‐based treatment modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Shadow organizing refers to the emergence of parallel arrangements that sit alongside and imitate mainstream or conventional ways of organizing. It can be a response to challenges that require new ways of working without abandoning what is valuable about conventional arrangements. However, the processes through which shadow organizing is accomplished are not well understood; there is a need to go beyond traditional notions of mimicry and metaphor. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: This paper demonstrates how a Tardean approach to imitation can address this gap. It deploys imitation as an explanatory concept, based on contemporary readings of Tarde, as well as understandings of organizing as an unfolding process. Child and Family Centres in Tasmania (Australia), are used as an example of shadow organizing, delivering integrated health and education services in an emerging parallel arrangement. Findings: The analysis highlights an imitation dynamic which is far from straightforward mimicry. Rather, it comprises repetition and generation of difference. This dynamic is conceptualized in Tardean fashion as three patterns: the imitation of ideas before expression; the selective nature of imitation; and insertion of the old alongside the new. Originality/value: The paper moves beyond metaphors of shadow organizing, and understandings of shadow organizing as mimicry. Conceptualizing imitation in an alternative way, it contributes fresh insights into how shadow organizing is accomplished. This enriches and expands the conceptual apparatus for researchers wishing to understand the betwixt and between of shadow organizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Religiously affiliated schools employ a substantial portion of the Australian educational workforce. These religiously affiliated schools are exempt from Australian state‐based anti‐discrimination legislation in varying degrees. This can have a devastating effect on LGBT+ employees. While NSW has broad exemptions to anti‐discrimination legislation, in contrast Tasmanian anti‐discrimination legislation provides very limited exemptions. This paper examines and compares the experiences of ten LGBT+ teachers employed in religiously affiliated schools in Tasmania and New South Wales. The aim of this paper is to document the differing experiences of these LGBT+ teachers, examining whether the distinctive state‐based legislation has an impact on their lives. The small number of cases examined here suggests that the state difference in anti‐discrimination legislation has a significant impact on LGBT+ peoples' job security and career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia's population is projected to triple by 2101, yet the nation lacks coordinated planning based on systematic regional analysis. This paper documents a novel national-scale suitability analysis of Australia which identifies the most appropriate regions for future urban development. The central research question is 'Where should Australian federal and state governments encourage urban development to maximise climatic liveability, protect natural and cultural heritage, capitalise on previous infrastructure investments, and maximise economic productivity?' The results indicate that the south-east and south-west of the country, and Tasmania, are preferred. The federal government is yet to prepare a national settlement strategy and contemplates large scale urban development in areas to which it is not suited. Regional planning decisions not based on comprehensive, evidence-based analysis are likely to incur significant social, economic and environmental costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is well documented and poses challenges for all those living and working with children who have experienced early adversity. The need to be trauma-informed when working with children in all educational settings is now recognised as essential if healing and learning are to take place. There are an increasing number of trauma-informed approaches available, but empirical evidence that supports their efficacy, particularly in the early years of education, is currently scarce. This paper presents the findings of a small-scale study which explored early childhood professionals' perceptions of the effectiveness and sustainability of one trauma-informed approach, Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®). Used widely across the US and Europe, TBRI® is relatively new to Australia and was trialled for the first time in this Tasmanian study. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA, 2014) concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach was used to provide a theoretical framework. Online surveys were used to gather data after each professional learning workshop and three and six-months later. Participants reported several positives of TBRI®, including self-development and improved outcomes for children. Whilst challenges/barriers to using the approach were noted, many related to contextual issues rather than to TBRI® specifically. Findings also showed that equipping families with a similar skill set would be advantageous and integral to effecting sustainable change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a sleep disorder that is characterised by dream enactment episodes during REM sleep. It is the strongest known predictor of α‐synuclein‐related neurodegenerative disease (αNDD), such that >80% of people with iRBD will eventually develop Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, or multiple system atrophy in later life. More research is needed to understand the trajectory of phenoconversion to each αNDD. Only five 'gold standard' prevalence studies of iRBD in older adults have been undertaken previously, with estimates ranging from 0.74% to 2.01%. The diagnostic recommendations for video‐polysomnography (vPSG) to confirm iRBD makes prevalence studies challenging, as vPSG is often unavailable to large cohorts. In Australia, there have been no iRBD prevalence studies, and little is known about the cognitive and motor profiles of Australian people with iRBD. The Island Study Linking Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease (ISLAND) Sleep Study will investigate the prevalence of iRBD in Tasmania, an island state of Australia, using validated questionnaires and home‐based vPSG. It will also explore several cognitive, motor, olfactory, autonomic, visual, tactile, and sleep profiles in people with iRBD to better understand which characteristics influence the progression of iRBD to αNDD. This paper details the ISLAND Sleep Study protocol and presents preliminary baseline results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces and analyzes fire climate regimes, steady-state conditions that govern the behavior of fire weather. A simple model representing fire climate was constructed by regressing high-quality regional climate averages against the station-averaged annual Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) for Victoria, Australia. Four FFD indices for fire years 1957–2021 were produced for 10 regions. Regions with even coverage of station-averaged total annual FFDI (ΣFFDI) from 1971–2016 exceeded Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.84, validating its widespread application. Data were analyzed for shifts in mean, revealing regime shifts that occurred between 1996 and 2003 in the southern states and 2012–2013 in Queensland. ΣFFDI shifted up by ~25% in SE Australia to 8% in the west; by approximately one-third in the SE to 7% in the west for days above high fire danger; by approximately half in the SE to 11% in the west for days above very high, with a greater increase in Tasmania; and by approximately three-quarters in the SE to 9% in the west for days above severe FFDI. Attribution of the causes identified regime shifts in the fire season maximum temperature and a 3 p.m. relative humidity, with changing drought factor and rainfall patterns shaping the results. The 1:10 fire season between Regimes 1 and 2 saw a three to seven times increase with an average of five. For the 1:20 fire season, there was an increase of 2 to 14 times with an average of 8. Similar timing between shifts in the Australian FFDI and the global fire season length suggests that these changes may be global in extent. A trend analysis will substantially underestimate these changes in risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various papers presented at the Ninth Annual Environmental Research Conference held at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Tasmania in December 2005. The conference focused on various issues concerning the environment, such as political and legislative issues, waste management, ecology and water use. The papers presented at the conference include water management by Elmahdi and colleagues, aesthetics of the built environment, and the participation of the public in environmental management.

The benefits of positive education initiatives are well understood in educational settings but less is known about how positive education can support remote communities to embrace change and become more resilient. This paper draws on the findings from an evaluative study of the Foundations to Flourish (F2F), a positive education programme, delivered on the remote setting of King Island, a sparsely populated Island in Bass Strait off Tasmania's north west coast. In interpreting its findings, the study draws on community resilience models to understand the influence of the F2F programme on adaptive capacity, self-organisation and connectivity during a period of social and economic change. The paper concludes that positive education initiatives such as F2F play an important role in enhancing social connectedness and providing resources known to enhance resilience: positivity, learning experiences, respectful local leadership, effective service infrastructure and interactions that cut across normal close social circles creating a shared sense of purpose or direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on changes in the social‐emotional well‐being of 6‐ to 12‐year‐old children tested before the COVID‐19 pandemic and during 2020 and 2021. Well‐being was assessed using a video game that empowers children to report their own well‐being, including school attachment, social and emotional well‐being, behavioural conformity and family support. We compared well‐being over time for two groups of children in government schools in Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. The treatment group of 580 children were tested in 2019 (Time 1) and a second time in mid‐late 2020 and early 2021 (Time 2). The comparison group of 841 children were tested twice before the pandemic. Results showed that children in the treatment group reported significantly lower family support at Time 2 than those in the comparison group. This reduction in perceived family support was stronger for girls. In addition, children in the treatment group who reported lower levels of family support at Time 1 reported a steeper decline in family support by Time 2. Finally, boys in the treatment group reported significantly better behavioural conformity and emotional well‐being relative to girls over time. Results highlight the varied impacts of the pandemic lockdowns and the need to provide continued support to vulnerable families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the growing body of research that demonstrates uneven impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on educational outcomes of students from different socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. We evaluate the early impacts of COVID‐19 on student attendance in secondary school and show how these impacts depend on students' SES. We employ a quasi‐experimental design, using difference‐in‐differences (DiD) estimation extended to incorporate third‐order differences over time between low‐SES and other students, and pre‐ versus during‐COVID‐19, leveraging robust administrative data extracted from the registers of the Tasmanian Department of Education. Using data from multiple cohorts of secondary school students in government schools in Tasmania (N = 14,135), we find that while the attendance rates were similar pre‐ and during‐COVID‐19 for high‐SES students, there was a significant drop in attendance rates during COVID‐19 among socioeconomically disadvantaged students, demonstrating the more pronounced impacts of COVID‐19 for these students. The findings demonstrate that even "relatively short" lockdowns, as those in Tasmania in 2020 (30–40 days of home learning), can significantly affect the learning experiences of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. We discuss the implications of this for future pandemic planning in educational policy and practice and how this needs to be addressed in Australia's COVID‐19 recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]