Rosie Batty
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THE naming of Rosie Batty as Australian of the Year could be the way ahead to unmasking a brutal society in this country.
We have governments using the fear of terrorism as a method to make people afraid and think that politicians are going to protect them.
Wrong.
We have people being killed and brutalised every week across the country.
Not from terrorists but from fellow citizens.
Rosie Batty's bravery has seen her focusing the lense of the media and politicians who have ignored this crisis.
Ms Batty's personal tragedy may help this nation begin to tackle an ignored crisis.
_ MAX WELLS, Sorell.
Tony Abbott
AS many Australians know Prime Minister Tony Abbott had bestowed a knighthood on the Duke of Edinburgh.
There's just one tiny problem with this.
Prince Philip was already placed higher than a knight in royal terms.
I was not aware Australia's leadership had the power to demote royalty and I'm quite certain the crown is not aware of such a power either.
Does the Liberal Party want to know what would make me a loyal voter for life?
Do they wish to to learn how to sway millions of Australian voters to a lifetime of loyalty?
The answer is very simple, have someone else, anyone else as leader
I'm sure the majority would be more happy with Prime Minister Bishop, Hockey, or Pyne.
_ DAVIS SEECAMP, Trevallyn.
UTAS Changes
IF THE radical university changes are so good why does the government need to offer $400 million to UTAS to make it palatable?
It is simply because the impact on UTAS and other regional universities would so catastrophic this is the order of compensation required?
But Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic’s justification (The Examiner, January 24) hides key facts.
The package will see university revenue per student cut by a drastic 20 per cent and will see student debt rise.
Government advertising says students will have to only pay back 50 per cent of their loan but hides the fact they now only have to pay back 40 per cent.
How can the university increase incentives to enrol and cut our appalling retention rate in the North by making students pay more?
— Dr MICHAEL POWELL, Springfield.
Elective Surgery
I AM writing about the elective surgery waiting lists.
They say they are getting shorter.
I don’t believe this is true.
My partner has been on the waiting list for 12 months for a hip replacement.
He was on the semi-urgent list for 10 months then we received a letter from the hospital saying had been taken of the semi-urgent and placed on the normal waiting list.
When I rang the LGH and asked why he was taken of the semi-urgent list they told me to ask the government.
I then sent an email to Prime Minister Tony Abbott asking why and did receive a reply saying it wasn’t his department and that my letter was being passed on to the Health Minister.
Have heard no more. I think they take people off the list so they can tell people the lists are getting shorter when they’re not.
But I still cannot work out how you can be semi-urgent for 10 months then placed on the normal waiting list.
I had to have a procedure and was put on the urgent waiting list, which is meant to be 30 days.
I waited 90 days.
Semi-urgent is meant to be 90 days; people are still waiting 12 months later.
So who is responsible for these waiting lists?
— JANET SIMPSON, Hillwood.
Drugs
HOORAY for Jo Palmer, what a well researched and balanced piece of reporting in The Sunday Examiner (January 25), ‘‘Lesson for other young Australians not to deal in drugs’’.
As her column is antithetical to that of our editor, I do not expect my letter will find its way into the print basket for pointing out the difference of opinion.
The decision to execute the masterminds of the Bali Nine drug smugglers has been made.
It is not as though Indonesia drags innocent people off the street and puts them to death but does so to hardened criminals who attempted to smuggle eight kilograms of heroin into Australia.
It is also said there is no evidence to prove that death penalty deters smugglers.
One thing for sure is Indonesia has no repeat offenders after they have punished serious drug smugglers.
Let us remind ourselves the very same offenders also strapped drugs to other mules who may face the same fate in the near future, these are the victims I feel sorry for.
There are those who think the laws of Indonesia are antediluvian and that because Australian laws are against capital punishment, we should oppose it.
How do we know if Australians oppose it?
Has there has ever been a referendum on the death penalty in Australia?
If so I am not aware of it, I would suggest it has been changed by politicians who guessed the majority of voters are against it, and would attract votes.
There are many decisions made in parliament by a handful of politicians who haven’t got a clue what we want.
Governing by referendum is the answer.
It works extremely well for the Swiss.
— COZ EGBERTS, Newstead.
Coroner
A CORONER’S report (The Examiner, January 23) suggests improved motorcyclist training and guardrail upgrades after an accident near Conara in December 2012.
If the coroner thinks that all that is needed is under-run protection for Armco guardrail I would suggest he has a look at the wire rope barriers that are multiplying around the state.
These things have no safety effect in any crash let alone one involving a motorcyclist. The training that motorcyclists have these days is adequate but once the riders are on their own a lot of them think they are immortal.
There is an L-plater at Longford who does not do up his helmet strap before riding, I’m sure his instructor would be happy to see that.
He obviously watches a lot of American television shows where they never have the straps done up.
It isn’t only the learners but have you seen the amount of experienced riders who ride about with only T-shirts, shorts and joggers on?
If they come off at only 15km/h there won’t be a lot of skin left on their elbows, knees or hands.
Please think before you ride girls and boys.
JOHN DENNE, Longford.
Australia Day
IT IS time to change the date of Australia Day.
Currently it is a date that does little to reconcile or unify the current inhabitants of Australia with those who owned this land for at least some 40,000 years prior to our arrival.
This country needs to produce a treaty so we all have something to celebrate.
We could then celebrate the day that treaty is signed as occurs in New Zealand on Waitangi Day.
We are overdue for a culturally inclusive and appropriate date to celebrate as a nation, not one marked by invasion, violence, murder and dispossession. Once we have such a treaty we will then truly have come of age as a nation.
- YVETTE CEHTEL, South Launceston.
Duke of Edinburgh
I HAVE just heard that Prime Minister Tony Abbott has recommended to HRH, Queen Elizabeth II, that the Duke of Edinburgh be made a Knight of Australia.
HRH is reported to have accepted.
As my wife exclaimed, “Tell me this is April 1”.
My immediate thought was, Is this bloke in touch with real Aussies?”
My next thought was to go outside, find a rather large rock and hide underneath it for some time.
Our Prime Minister, in my humble opinion, is a national embarrassment.
- ROSS ROBBINS, Trevallyn.