Dark Mofo
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HOW CAN the Tasmanian State Government afford to commit $2.1 million to fund Dark Mofo when the health system is in dire straits causing elderly people to lie on the floors of emergency departments?
— MARGARET EAST, Youngtown.
Division
WELL may David Morrison be Australian of the Year but he does not seem to understand his duties.
His duty would be to bring Australians together, instead, he is causing division with his dictatorial spruiking about an Australian Republic.
He cannot tell me what to think, say or do.
“A mind, changed against its will, is of the same opinion still”.
He is not a sympathetic man.
This must have been a political decision as Michelle Payne would have made a much better Australian of the Year.....
— NICOLAS VERHOEFF, Latrobe.
Road Rules
REGARDING "Check the Road Rules" letter from Troy Patten (The Examiner, Friday 29), and "Distance makes the difference...".
Mr Patten should have read the small print in the ad before writing.
He is correct in that crossing double lines is illegal, however the law has been modified with regard to the situation of passing a cyclist.
The ad includes the line: "To make sure you can give enough space, you can now cross continuous centre lines when it's safe to do so."
— GAVIN CAMPBELL, Longford.
Editorial
THE EXAMINER’S editorial (January 28,) takes a cheap shot at people concerned about northern Tasmania's irreplaceable alpine vegetation.
It undermines efforts to get more money from the Federal Government to fight fires. Does The Examiner not realise that our ancient highland pines and deciduous beech are a major part of what attracts people to places such as Cradle Mountain?
Is The Examiner happy to see stands of 1000-year-old pencil pines in the Walls of Jerusalem incinerated?
And how short-sighted and divisive to suggest that saving property and saving heritage are mutually exclusive.
The fire burning wilderness today could be burning houses tomorrow.
— GEOFF LAW, Dynnyrne.
Wilderness
IT IS disappointing to read The Examiner's editorial (January 28) introducing politics to the public debate about fires and the urgent need for increased fire fighting capacity for remote-area blazes burning out of control in Tasmania's wild landscapes.
Aside from some predictable jibes tweeted by right-wing politicians, to date the public debate regarding the need for additional capacity to tackle remote fires has been politics-free, sensitive and respectful of the incredible challenge and effort already expended by fire services and staff.
This is not a political issue, as constructed by The Examiner, but a practical one focussed on finding the resources required to effectively fight all priority fires, irrespective of where they burn.
Concurrent with fires threatening farms, shacks and forestry assets, for two weeks there have been fires burning, many unchecked, in remote, fire-sensitive ecosystems that are globally unique and incredible assets from an environmental, branding and tourism perspective.
Fires have already burnt through rainforest and alpine ecosystems that are totally and permanently destroyed by fire.
Under hostile fire conditions, existing fires would threaten iconic landscapes loved by locals and tourists alike, including Cradle Mountain, the Walls of Jerusalem and Mt Anne.
No one has sought political advantage by advocating the allocation of additional, specialist capacity to fight remote fires burning in globally significant areas that would never recover.
Many of The Examiner readers would similarly love these places, share these concerns and support boosting existing capacity to tackle remote fires before the existing disaster deepens.
— VICA BAYLEY, Tasmanian Campaign Manager, The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc. Hobart.
Fire Operations
AS I write (January 27) there are approx 70 bushfires in Tasmania - that mostly started weeks ago from lightning strikes.
Now these fires are destroying fragile and ancient ecosystems such as alpine areas containing Pencil Pine trees, King Billy trees, cushion plants etc.
These ecosystems experience fires very rarely and are not able to recover easily.
Tas Fire Service were not able to control such a large number of fires with their limited resources but had plenty of opportunity to ask for extra help from the other states shortly after these fires started - but failed to do so for at least a week after this - despite that these fires were out of control.
Tas Fire Service management has until relatively recently failed to allocate any resources to these fires and instead only tried to manage the ones near communities.
Only after some public questioning via the media a week after these fires started did Tas Fire Service finally say they would ask the mainland states for extra resources.
I don't call this smart fire management of globally important and significant ecosystems and would like to see an inquiry into Tas Fire Service's operations and decisions over the last few weeks.
I believe they have made some very poor decisions and should be held accountable for the unnecessary loss of ancient plant species and their ecosystems.
— BERT LAWATSCH, Mount Nelson.
Asbestos
MY HUSBAND came home at 3.30pm on January 27 (Wednesday) from Beechford with a trailer partly filled with rubble and a small wheelbarrow load of asbestos, wrapped and taped as required by council.
When I asked him why he hadn't dropped it at the tip in Mowbray, he said he had missed the window of opportunity between 10am and 2pm, on the only day of the week that is permitted for general public dumping of asbestos.
He'd planned this job around that fact, but it had been some time since he'd last needed to dump asbestos and he had not factored in the small window of opportunity nor the paperwork that has to be completed beforehand.
Makes sense when there has to be machinery awaiting the arrival of this material.
A $73 minimum charge applies and the person with the asbestos is then required to drive to the tip face and toss this hazardous material themselves, quite a novel experience since the commissioning of our neat and tidy new rubbish handling facility.
The bulldozer driver is ready to bury the material when there is a booking.
Doesn't disposing of it in one’s domestic garbage become a temptation?
We are both happy to pay what we think is a reasonable fee for other rubbish. I do think though, that there could be a skip especially for asbestos available all day, at least during the week
— MERRIL GOUGH, Relbia.
Freycinet
IN AN article referring to the proposed extension to Freycinet Lodge, within Freycinet National Park (The Examiner, February 2) the developer, RACT, states that there will be no visual impact.
This is correct if you are content to drive past along the road or stay on the beach.
However, for the increasing number of visitors of a more adventurous outlook who follow the route to the spectacular viewpoint of Mt. Parsons, or who have the skills to take the stunning scenic challenge of the skyline traverse of the Hazards, the visual impact will be very confronting.
I speak from working experience, having conducted regular excursions in the Park over 20 years including over 100 trips over the Hazards.
Other RACT long term members, like myself, may well share my concerns.
— PETER BOOTH, East Launceston.
Armed Forces
IN REPLY to A. R. Trounson (Letters, February 3), if you volunteer to join the armed forces in any country on this planet and a war of any sort breaks out then you do not volunteer to go to that country to fight, you are ordered to go.
If you decide that you are not going then you are classed as a deserter or worse.
When you sign up the word ``choice’’ is removed from your vocabulary, you no longer have a choice of where and when you go to fight, you go where your employer tells you to go, your employer being the government of the country you live in at the time you sign up.
— D. PITHAM, Beauty Point.
Religion
IT IS not surprising that many Australians are losing faith in the many different churches all claiming to be proclaiming the truth about life, its purpose and meaning.
Most churches have over the centuries become involved in ritual, ceremony and tradition, the Bible taking a back seat.
It is from the Bible that this flawless piece of information comes.
Every true christian should structure their life on moral excellence and honesty which would make living together delightful.
— REGINALD TREBILCO, Norwood.