Letters for Friday, January 16, 2015

NOTED in Sunday's edition (January 11) that there is a scarcity of fruit pickers, so few that 457 Visa holders have to be sought.

My wife and son have applied many times over the last four years to various farms with no result.

Who holds the information on these mysterious jobs so that locals can readily apply ?

I know at least two who will work for $21 an hour.

— JAMES SOUL, Mayfield.

Telstra-d'Antoine

I WISH to concur with the comments of Mr Trethewie (The Examiner, January 13) regarding mobile coverage on the East Coast over Christmas and its effect on his expanding child care business.

We should be surely trying to encourage small business and tourism in this state.

Without reliable and effective communication the only message we send is that we are not open for business,.

Telstra lift your game.

— NICHOLAS D'ANTOINE, Longford.

Tassie cricketers-Barker

IT'S a fine achievement to have three Northern cricketers named in the Australian World Cup Squad.

Each one an outstanding cricketer and an outstanding citizen and role model.

One can't help but praise the efforts of former Tasmanian coach Tim Coyle on nurturing these cricketers into the success they have achieved thus far, and yes, Tim hails from the North as well.

Well done and good luck lads.

— PAUL BARKER, Prospect Vale.

Magistrate guidelines-Parker

AGAIN we see another magistrate in Melbourne set free on bail an expressed

terrorist supporter.

This magistrate saying she wasn’t in a good position to determine how much a risk he posed.

Court documents showed that he admitted sending death threats to the US President in the past.

Time for the government to put down guidelines for the judiciary to follow.

Aren’t they there to protect the public as a number one priority as well?

— DAVID PARKER, West Launceston.

Dog's life-Sleurink

IT'S a dogs life - or not if you are chained to a dilapidated kennel with rags in front of the opening and a bucket of water just in reach.

This was the sight I saw at St Helens, this rather large dog on a short chain.

Next time I looked he was lying with his large head on his paws looking rather dejected, probably wondering what he had done to deserve this life.

I wonder just what his surroundings are like after the recent torrential downpour?

If people can't control their dog or just can't be bothered, why have them?

— GLENNIS SLEURINK, Launceston.

Thanks-Freak

FROM everyone here at Vinnies, we wish to thank The Examiner for its continuing strong support for all of the agencies helping those in need in our community.

Over the last two months of 2014, the St Vincent de Paul Society provided support to more than 400 families from greater Launceston. 

Many of us experience increased demands at this time of year, and those on living on the margins go through similar things.

The requests for support over the holiday season grow exponentially, as individuals and families with limited or fixed incomes are faced with unplanned expenses and the higher expectations of children, family and friends.  

The Examiner Empty Stocking Appeal provides profile and a focus for the Launceston Community to support Vinnies and the other agencies, to undertake this vital work.

Thank you to all who support our work, in so many different ways.

— PETER FREAK, St Vincent de Paul Society Northern regional manager.

Voting-Campbell

THE voters will have great difficulty deciding who to vote for, on the one hand the Labor Party is fiscally irresponsible throwing money around like confetti, on the other the Liberals could not run a chook raffle.

Brett Whiteley and the federal liberal government’s solution to Medicare is to say ridiculous.

The simple answer is to  break their election promise and raise the Medicare levy, adjust the thresholds, review and control those areas where blow outs are occurring, and continue to fund Medicare through the taxation system.

Further where co-payments do occur, like prescriptions, cap the co-payment.

Pensioners cannot continue to be slugged, just because the federal government can’t, and won’t live within their means.

Wake up Mr Whiteley and heed what is being asked of you, if you want to continue as a federal politician.

The time to do that is now.

Thank goodness I am no longer a member of any political party.

— JIM CAMPBELL, Ulverstone.

Plastic bags-Foley

THE inquiry Professor Barry Brook is calling for, into the effectiveness of reusable plastic bags, (The Examiner, January 14) if implemented should be interesting,

He starts on the wrong foot by stating Coles And Woolworths implemented the scheme, this is incorrect.

It was forced onto all supermarkets and many other retail outlets by the previous Labor/Green government.

He states that because of a lack of research we don’t know if the scheme has been effective, so if research is done what does he intend to use for comparisons?

Also does this mean Labor and the Greens introduced the scheme without research?

Reading the article, it becomes apparent he does not particularly like the original bags, reusable, biodegradable or cotton bags (needs fertiliser) and can I assume paper bags (cutting down trees).

So at the end of the day what is acceptable to Professor Brooks for us to bring our groceries home in?

Compared to other rubbish like takeaway food and drink containers, supermarket bags were only ever a minor problem with most people reusing and then disposing of them properly, in truth there were not many feral supermarket bags floating around the countryside as most of them worked their way to the tip via our kitchen tidies for which we now have to buy plastic bags.

— KERRY FOLEY, Launceston.

Penalty rates-Belz

THE  joke that Tasmanians are a little backward is becoming a reality when you consider talking about cutting penalty rates for hospitality workers.

The cutting of penalty rates is a massive backward step in the conditions for workers' rights and surely we all see that.

Forgive me as I only went to grade 10, but I do know something about small business and that is it's not going to be easy and there is a chance the business could fail.

Also, supply and demand is something that should be well thought out before even thinking of going into business as if there is an over supply then you really need to work hard on making your business better then the rest and if you don't, good luck.

If your business is struggling, it's not because you have to pay extra on public holidays and weekends, it's because no one wants to go to your cafe or novelty shop.

If you cannot afford to pay your staff penalty rates then you are not the success you thought you were going to be when you started.

Don't take away from your employees what you were so lucky to receive when you first started working.

If you can't afford to pay the going rate for your workers then don't even think for one minute it's their fault because they are paid too much, it's because you didn't think about it long enough way back when you started the business.

If penalty rates in the hospitality sector are cut then it will only be  the beginning. Woolworths and Coles will be next, then Bunnings, and so on and so on.

This is all because some people in small business had no idea what they were getting into.

— DALLAS BELZ, Mayfield.