Prisoner health
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IT IS good that prisoner advocate Greg Barns is concerned for the mental health of prisoners.
I trust he has the same outspoken concern for the untold number of people who daily suffer mental trauma, as a consequence of murder, rape, domestic/public violence committed by many of these prisoners.
Some of these innocent victims - unlike their perpetrators - have no hope of having their sentences reduced.
— DAVID BISSETT, Somerset.
Abbott
I CAN almost read the script now.
Get the public scared by spreading as much propaganda regarding Prime Minister Tony Abbott's "Death Cult" as possible.
Then call an election on the grounds of 'only we can save you from certain terrorist attacks'.
Whoops.
I have dual nationality.
I had better not step out of line.
— STEVE STRONACH, Launceston.
Victims
SURELY the Education Department bureaucrats who transferred a paedophile principal to another state school after allegations of his abuse must be held to account.
The Catholic Church is in all sorts of trouble for exactly the same lack of ethical governance - and quite rightly so.
Both priest and teacher are in positions of power and trust and if this is abused, accountability is demanded.
Victims of this abuse suffer whether they are perpetrated by church or laity.
— ROD FENNER, Launceston.
Drug trafficker
THE EXAMINER (June 30) reports "A convicted drug trafficker found guilty of three more drug trafficking crimes was serving a suspended sentence".
Which did nothing to deter him from re-offending.
— A.R. TROUNSON, Needles.
CBD traffic
RECENT history shows the Launceston City Council stuffed up traffic management in Penquite and Normanstone roads requiring rework.
Better standards for the new proposal will be required to avoid the death of the CBD and I would like to know what is being done to ensure this change happens.
At least tell me how many vehicles will move at each change of traffic light sequences compared to the current situation when traffic is heavy?
— D. WRYELL, Prospect.
Jobs growth
LAUNCESTON'S only chance to grow is in the North-East.
Agriculture has declined more in this area as forestry took over.
This can only reversed by help from our state government.
The Growth Office being setup at the moment could help in this matter.
The Liberal Government has just finished removing the final barriers that put Tasmania at a disadvantage to New Zealand in export of diary products to Asia.
— DAVID LEWIS, Launceston.
Parents
KIDS thrive in loving, caring environments.
That may be one parent, two parents (straight or gay), married and de facto couples, adoptive parents and grandparents.
The traditional family has been superseded by the modern family.
It is constantly evolving and adapting to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.
If Claire van Ryn’s concern for the ‘‘voiceless and vulnerable participants’’ in regard to same-sex marriage was genuinely without prejudice, she would be pursuing heterosexual relationship breakdowns involving children with equal or greater vigour.
— SIMON MCINERNEY, Trevallyn.
Tassie AFL
THE fiasco at the Gold Coast is an expensive lesson that the AFL hierarchy can take full responsibility for pushing a rugby religion focused sport into Australian Rules Football.
Instead of injecting their support and millions of dollars into a Tasmania team, which is and has always been a 100 per cent Aussie Rules state.
Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Richmond are not Tasmanian teams.
The Apple Island deserves to be part of the national competition.
Ian Stewart, Darrel Baldock, Royce Hart, Tassie Johnson, Rodney Eade and Verdun Howell are just a few of the many champs that were and still are Tassie icons the great game has enjoyed.
How long will Tassie be left out of what is incorrectly labelled a national competition?
— J. D. ROGERS, Sulphur Creek.
Mental health crisis
MENTAL health services are at breaking point and health, housing, employment and inclusion are symbiotic in the case of good mental health.
From my own experience as a mental health support worker, certain state funded non-government organisations will not offer short-term rehabilitation to clients of mental health services if they are homeless, begging the question of how they were funded and what was the criterion in the first instance when they won their tender under Labor?
The last few weeks will have seen many non-government organisation managers sending e-mails to spend whatever is left over in their budgets on ridiculous trips away, ceiling wax and other fancy stuff so their future budgets will not be reduced.
Many also are the gatekeepers to affordable housing.
Who are the lifters and leaners in these times of great financial uncertainty and austerity?
— DAVID BRIMBLE, Launceston.
TAC
THE Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) was established in the 1970s to represent and fight for social justices for the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
The inroads the TAC made in terms of bracing change is enormous.
Yet, Attorney-General George Brandis has stripped the TAC of its Legal Service funding.
The TAC is a victim of its own morality.
It offers harsh but responsible opinions and its criteria on the definition of Aboriginality is strict, which conflicts with the Commonwealth definition.
Attorney-General Brandis has removed the TAC's legal service funding and brought in the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) who will open the door to any person seeking free legal aid.
Herein lies the problem, VALS will be held responsible for adulterating the integrity of who is a Tasmanian Aboriginal person.
This won’t address the inequality of Aboriginal incarceration figures whatsoever.
The situation is a divide and conquer approach, which is a contradiction of the reconciliation.
The term "Closing the Gap" will be reduced to Closing.
— GRAEME GARDNER, Newstead.
Women on boards
THE Tasmanian Government is to be applauded for its commitment to increase the number of women on its boards to 50 per cent over the next five years.
It joins South Australia and Queensland as the only states offering a real commitment to increase female board representation to 50 per cent.
As at April this year, Tasmania is equal with the Northern Territory in having the lowest percentage of women on Government boards at 34 per cent.
The ACT and South Australia sit at 47 per cent, followed by Western Australia (42 per cent), the Australian Government (40 per cent), New South Wales (39 per cent), Victoria (39 per cent) and Queensland (37 per cent).
That is despite overwhelming evidence that the presence of women on boards is good for business.
Research has found boards with women are more likely to be best practice in terms of board evaluations, codes of conduct, conflict of interest guidelines and critically reviewing executive pay arrangements.
In 2004 the US-based non-profit research organisation Catalyst found that boards with the highest number of women had a better financial performance in the key indicators of return on equity, return on sales and return on invested capital.
While the target may appear a way off at the moment the fact the government is making itself and the Tasmanian State Service accountable is encouraging and we wish them well.
Having women on boards is not about tokenism - it is about recognising that women have an equal role to play in all aspects of society and this includes governance.
Overall it is about ensuring all in society have the opportunity to grow and develop and are not stifled simply by their gender.
Now, we need to see real action in bringing this to a reality.
— LINDY O’NEILL, UnitingCare Tasmania chief executive.
Elections
I NOTE with particular interest lawyer Ross Hart being pre-selected to represent Labor against incumbent Bass liberal MHRAndrew Nikolic at the next federal election.
Does a lawyer understand the real world outside legal speak?
The common worker?
The electorates day to day needs?
Mr Hart mentions that Mr Nikolic has aligned himself alongside Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Isn't that what we would expect?
Hasn't Mr Nikolic subsequently produced many deliverables since coming into the position with the Prime Minister facilitating funding for Bass and coming here personally to deliver it on a number of occasions?
And might I ask, who will Mr Hart align himself with?
Bill Shorten?
A political dead man walking with no vision for our country?
— TONY GRIGGS, Flinders Island.