Penalty Rates
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SATURDAY, Sunday and holidays should be at the same rate.
Sunday is no longer sacred and in Tasmania the biggest classification of religious belief is ‘no religion’ which includes agnostics and atheist.
In a multicultural society the holy day or Sabbath includes Friday for Muslims and Saturday Jews: why shouldn’t they get double time for those days?
Indeed, my Bangladeshi friends tell me that they get Friday off (that's their weekend), Saturday and Sunday are ordinary days of the week.
Religious holiday loading and double time penalty rates either should be consistent with Jews getting double time for Saturday, Muslims double time for Friday, or, preferably, be abolished.
— ROBERT KARL STONJEK, Kings Meadows.
UTAS
THE questions posed by Kyle Barratt regarding the UTAS move to Inveresk (The Examiner, October 4) are either impossible to answer or trivial.
The truth is no one can really know what the impact on Mowbray businesses will be. Given that this is a 10 year project many of the current businesses won’t exist or will have changed considerably by then. Also why should that matter? If it did no development would have occurred in Launceston for the last 150 years.
Common sense suggests that the impact will be minimal. Students will still live in Mowbray as it will be virtually alongside the new campus. Compare this to other cities where journeys of 40k are common place.
AS for parking and the Launceston show the former can easily be resolved by good planning . People can also walk, cycle or use public transport. The show’s future will be decided by public support not by UTAS.
Launceston needs this investment. Lets grasp the opportunity rather than focus on petty negativity.
— MALCOLM REID, Launceston
CDB
I CANNOT believe that our City Council believes that changing some of our central one-way traffic system back to a two-way system will anyway revitalise our CBD.
Having recently walked through the Centreway Arcade from Paterson Street, I had the opportunity and time to count the vacant shops in that area - four and one of those was a double shop area.
Moving onto St. John Street, between Brisbane and York Streets, the shop on the corner of the Tatler Arcade plus the shop area that leads into the Tatler Arcade (which have been vacant for some years as Sharee Marshall used to occupy this space), then across the road, the old Post Office Building, which was previously occupied by Noni B - now vacant, then there is the building that was occupied by Medicare.
These are just some of the vacant shops that are situated in the CBD - why can't Launceston attract business into these areas?
We do not want or need anymore eateries/coffee shops at the moment until these premises can be filled with vibrant shopping experiences.
— LORRAINE SCALES, Punchbowl.
Gorge
HOORAY for Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic calling for Hydro Tasmania to “…commit to strong and regular water release from the Trevallyn Dam…” (The Examiner, Oct 5).
Increasing fresh water content in the Tamar’s upper reaches similar to pre-dam levels will reduce salinity in the Tamar’s upper reaches consequently reducing ‘flocculation’ of suspended sediment with the positive effect of minimizing siltation of Launceston’s waterways.
While there is no doubt good strong flows through the Cataract Gorge will have a scouring effect on existing silt most beneficial of all will be the flushing out of e-coli and other nasty toxic bacteria which currently contaminate the waters through an antedeluvian sewage system.
Prior to his election Mr. Nikolic promised to try and rectify the environmental nightmare currently existing in the River Tamar and to give him his due; while there is still certainly more work to do, he has stuck by that promise.
— JIM COLLIER, Legana.
Wind Farms
I SEE that wind farms are being blamed for eagle deaths.
Unfortunately the major threat to eagles is farmers poisoning them. When walking with my dogs I have seen Platypus shot because a farmer believed they dig holes in dams . Platypus are not stupid they expand existing holes caused by tree roots not consolidated walls. I have seen a pile of more than a dozen devils and three eagles poisoned because a farmer thought they killed sheep. Devils eat carrion not living animals. Eagles will take a lamb or kill a sheep separated from the flock. Sheep have excellent peripheral vision so when eagles are around, often attracted by logging as they enjoy the easy hunt on cleared land, the sheep will mob up and go under cover. I know from personal experience that lone sheep in the open are targeted from behind when sitting, the few the eagles target can be protected by mobbing them up and ensuring they have cover during lambing, particularly when nearby land is being cleared.
Birds rapidly get used to wind farms, cockatoos even play on the wind currents, eagles just move to a better area. Just because a dead eagle is near a wind farm does not mean the windmill killed it.
— PETER McMURRAY, Lilydale.
Dying with Dignity
WHY is a dedicated hospice not seen as a vital part health care?
We hear a lot about dying with dignity.
But, what does this mean?
Can it happen at home, a hospice or a nursing home?
The dying process can take time so, the patient and loved ones need support.
A dedicated hospice could provide this support, within own home , nursing home or within the hospice itself.
A dedicated hospice could ensure; patient comfort, symptoms control, emotional, spiritual and social support for the patient and family.
Furthermore , it could provide proper palliative care support within nursing homes.
Had we had a dedicated hospice in existence, my mother would have had a dignified death.
Having a dedicated hospice would be financially more viable and avoid added demands on beds in the LGH.
— ELLA MILLER, Launceston.
Guns and Crime
EVEN after gun ownership doubling in the US during the first six years of Obama's reign, homicides have decreased dramatically according to FBI crime data.
Per capita murders in the US is 4.7 per 100,000 according to the 218 nations who keep such stats yet as America is the highest nation in gun ownership - a recent phenomenon - it should be the highest in murder, right?
But the US is not in the top 10, not in the top 25, not in the top 50, not even in the top 100.
It is 111th on the list.
Honduras is the highest with 90 per 100,000.
If, as our secular regressives like to constantly spruke, "Guns kill people" surely America would top the list? A gun in the hands of a good person is a significant deterrent to murderous activity, simple.
By the way Chicago with the toughest 'gun control' laws in the US had 50 gun deaths this last weekend.
— JACK SONNEMANN, Lucaston.
Order of Aust Awards
WHILE many Australians may agree with Malcolm Scott's opinion regarding the former Prime Minister's reintroduction Dames and Knights (The Examiner, October 2), I would hope no one believes that Order of Australia awards are elitists, let alone un-Australian.
Since the introduction of these awards by the Whitlam government in 1974, Australians from all walks of life have been recognised for their outstanding achievements and in particular for their extensive voluntary services to our community.
These recipients come from all areas of our society.they have been nominated by their fellow Australians and their merits assessed by a politically and socially independent organisation. An Order of Australia award identifies the recipient as a great contributor to their community and to their country regardless of their social standing.
The excellent coverage and editorial in The Examiner on June 8 (Queen's birthday) was testament to the varied activities recipients of the Order of Australia awards contributed to the community.
There are many people in our community that should be recognised with an appropriate Order of Australia award for their work and contribution.
I encourage everyone to identify and nominate these men and women so they can receive appropriate recognition through our own Australian honours system.
— CLIVE LEE, Chairman, Northern Region, Order of Australia Association.