Super trawler
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WITH a super trawler once again heading for Australian waters, It seems obvious that this government can't seem to get it right when deciding which boats they should be stopping.
— RAY PETHICK, Epping Forest.
Swimming
AS A regular early morning swimmer, I read with interest the swimming club's grievances in relation to Launceston Aquatic lane hire fees.
Maybe if the clubs managed their lane hire more efficiently, they could cut their costs.
Just this morning, I was swimming laps with many other swimmers having to share lanes, and noticed that a club had two reserved lanes with only one swimmer training for the entire hour I was there.
Not only was this a waste of the club's money, it is an unnecessary inconvenience for members of the public trying to swim laps in shared lanes.
Launceston Aquatic is a wonderful addition to our city, but it seems the negative minority have very loud voices.
— PAUL CARLSON, Launceston.
Education
THE attacks on science and education by the federal government has taken a nasty turn with two Tasmanian Liberal MPs now entering the fracas.
Apparently Lyons Libera; MHR Eric Hutchinson is incensed that the university vice chancellor has changed his position.
So doing what Liberals do best, go to print and attack and undermine.
Labeled a flip flopper, this would then mirror the governments numerous flip flops of the last year.
Undermining and trying to discredit education and the administrators is a cheap ploy, no room for differing opinions in their closeted little worlds.
— PETER M. TAYLOR, Midway Point.
Politics
CRITICISM of politicians and disagreement with their actions and statements is normal and healthy and all politicians should be open to such scrutiny, so recently when I read of complaints that Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic had blocked some people from his websites, I decided to check further.
Some of the comments sent to his website can only be described as vile and disgusting.
No politician good or bad from any political party should be subjected to the abuse and four letter expletives such as I found.
One can only wonder how the correspondents concerned would react if similar abuse was directed at them.
As stated above, criticise any politician for whatever irks you, but do it in a way that you wouldn’t mind your mother or children reading, and the person you are directing that criticism at might just take you seriously and give you a hearing.
— KERRY FOLEY, Launceston.
Climate change
IN mid-December, The Examiner carried a photo of a Californian home washed from its foundations.
Just one of many similar stories we have been hearing from overseas, and, even here in Australia.
Much blame for the extreme weather conditions that result in these disasters has been levelled at climate change.
Remedial works and the expenses involved are frequently carried by the public purse, and from charities.
It is strange that people still insist on building close to the waters’ edge of rivers and beaches, ignoring the inherent dangers involved.
Even more strange is the willingness of councils and other authorities to grant permits for building in such close proximity to what must surely be recognised as a potential threat.
This is irresponsible.
Perhaps planning bodies and the members thereof should be made to bear some of the costs?
— BILL CARNEY, Riverside.
Anzac
THE Harvest Market organisers stand rightly condemned for their decision to operate from 8.30am on Anzac Day (The Examiner, March 27).
While a multitude of events happen on the day and shops can open, there has always been an understanding that this happens post midday.
Look at sporting matches and the trading hours of major retailers as examples.
This is to recognise the importance of the day and what it means to the nation as a way of saying thank you to the brave men and women of our armed services, particular this year, which marks the centenary of the Anzac landing.
For the Harvest Market president to suggest their activity would provide an opportunity for people to ``reflect as part of the community'' on the sacrifice of so many by buying a few spuds or radishes is disingenuous.
Organisers could have chosen to operate on Sunday for that week as the Salamanca Market has done, open after midday or even trade on the long weekend Monday.
Instead it has chosen to thumb its nose at all those service people who have defended our nation and way of life, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.
I trust people will respond to the decision appropriately, and not arrive until midday.
— NIGEL TAPP, Exeter.
Spin
IN 1485 Richard the Third was slain at Bosworth.
Now, you may ask what has this to do with anything?
Well, through Tudor spin he has been subjected to the worst hatchet job in history.
For 530 years he has been the object of spin that our pollies must envy.
Today nothing has changed as we are all the target for spin from all sides of politics and others who want to vilify others.
I wonder if our spin will last as long as poor Richard's enemies words have.
The moral of this story is to take anything anyone says with a grain of salt and look at the motives that inspire it.
In Henry Tudor's case, it was his survival as he had no right to the throne and made sure he kept it by bumping off all the remaining Plantagenates.
We don't go that far but if mud is thrown it tends to stick.
I guess in our case no one is memorable enough for any spin to last 50 years, let alone 530.
— GLENNIS SLEURINK, Launceston.
Higher Education
BASS Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic claims that Tasmania’s higher education participation is 7 per cent compared to a national average of 40 per cent (The Examiner, March 30).
Of course the numbers look bad when measured against the entirety of the rest of the country.
This is the worst kind of number-fiddling to push an agenda that would see students saddled with unconscionable debt for the remainder of their lives.
That’s not a “pathway” any potential student should be forced to contemplate.
Mr Nikolic and his federal cohort continually remind us that the so-called “debt and deficit disaster” is akin to “intergenerational theft” whilst clearly pursuing policies that will rob our young people of any kind of prosperous future, no matter what degree they end up with.
“Doing nothing” may not be an option, but rashly doing the “something” this government has attempted to rush through parliament, without due consideration for potential societal and economic impacts, is worse than “economic vandalism”.
— CHRIS RATTRAY, South Launceston.
Government funded schools
W. J. GREER makes an important point (Letters, 28 March) concerning the change to legislation allowing government-funded schools to discriminate against students on the basis of religion, by refusing to enrol them.
This shows the power of the religious lobby in our country.
How does this sit within our anti-discrimination legislation (both State and Federal)?
Can a restaurant/hotel/hospital etc. refuse admittance to clients or employees on this basis?
If parents want their children to receive specific religious instruction, it should take place completely outside our education system (state or private – our government funds both), and we should not be forced into funding this minority.
With the level of religious antipathy exhibited around the world and its dreadful consequences, we should be promoting rationality, tolerance and humanity in our young people.
But when has common sense ever prevailed where religion is concerned?
— D. COOKE, Blackwall.