The question should be stuck on the desk of every public servant.

The Integrity Commission discovered a culture of gifts in the public service, and they weren't just a lunch or a slab of beer. They included overseas flights, accommodation, expensive vouchers, free tickets to sporting events, electronic equipment and expensive alcohol.

Public service mandarins ask that common sense prevail over gifts, like a box of chocolates as a thank-you for a paramedic.

But clearly we're not talking about a thank-you note attached to a bag of sweets.

We're talking serious palm grease. A gift to a public servant of a trip to Singapore, with accommodation thrown in, is designed to influence public decision-making. It would be naive to think otherwise.

As suggested, there should be strict guidelines regarding gifts, at a federal, state and local government level, with the most pertinent, mandatory, criteria being full public disclosure.

THREE CAPES TRACK

HOW many times does the Tasmanian taxpayer have to pay for a $30 million walk in the park?

The $500 fee for high-end, well-heeled users of the Tasman Peninsula Three Capes walking track may seem reasonable for what's on offer - accommodation, transport and entry passes - but it will squeeze out your average overnight bushwalker.

If the government wants to make this expensive walking track an affordable, popular activity it has to accommodate the traditional user, who just wants to bring a backpack with freeze-dried food, a sleeping bag and a tent.

Tasmanians should not have to pay dearly for the experience, and those who bring a tent should not be turned away simply because of a shortage of sites.

Taxpayers trusted the government with the funds to create an access to some of the most magnificent scenery in the world. We didn't anticipate bankrolling a playground for the rich.