Our town is showing fatigue from all the going-to-do issues that never seem to come to fruition but remain on the shelf in the hope that perhaps one day we may be lucky and a body may be put in place with intelligence enough to dust off and understand a few of the issues.

I would hope there is at least someone in the club that’s able to take another look at the ‘impression sketches’ now being flaunted in our newspapers and then ask the question, “Is this Launceston?” Our lovely old city expecting to wear something out of Star Wars? I hope not, the architectural nightmare would be like a boil on the end of our towns nose and bring Launceston into further ridicule. 

The site chosen has a million future uses but a university? Not so, it is just an easy try-on by a few suities.  We should be like other go-ahead cities around the world, moving their places of learning out of the cities to the uncongested area where even Star Wars might find a spot, who knows? 

The money that might be thrown at this unhopeful venture could do so much for the real needs of the city and the rose coloured classed must come off and let’s get on the path of seriousness for the sake of poor old Launceston.

Geoff Smedley, Trevallyn.

IT WOULD be wonderful if both major parties had an armistice from point scoring and sought common ground on how to release our country’s  asylum seekers from their four-year imprisonment on Manus Island and Nauru. 

For a start they could reflect on the humanity of these people whose only “crime” was to seek refuge from persecution.  This lengthy imprisonment of innocent people in order to “stop the boats” has been a blot on Australia’s otherwise respectable humanitarian efforts. 

In any case Australia’s new super-security department makes the need to hold these prisoners hostage - as a deterrent to people smugglers - obsolete. There will hardly be a ripple of protest if both parties agree to send these long-suffering asylum seekers to Australia.   

Ed Sianski, West Moonah.

DICK James (The Examiner, July 25) mentions a second cable across Bass Strait as a means of providing power to mainland Australia. But we ought not forget that Eric Reece pushed hydro power to attract heavy industry with its proven employment and prosperity implications. 

If we have an expensive second cable it may prove more attractive to shut down smelters like Nyrstar and Bell Bay Aluminium so as to free up even more power to sell. These industries depend on low cost power so Tasmania’s economy would suffer if they shut.

We should bring on the Gordon below Franklin (or Gordon above Olga) scheme before the Hydro construction arm is totally disbanded, and we also need to be very sure of the impact on heavy industry if we install a second cable. My father was a Hydro Pole (born near Warsaw) so I am a bit biased towards Hydro Power.

A Frellek, Trevallyn.

ANGLICARE Tasmania’s Meg Webb said “In the current job market, with people on NewStart outnumbering available jobs by five to one, we are seeing people becoming entrenched in poverty due to the inadequate level of payments”. (The Examiner, July 22).

If so, why is the Tasmanian government bringing in hundreds of unemployed foreign refugees?

And why did the government house the 383 new immigrants while leaving homeless Tasmanians to rot?

A.R. Trounson, Needles.

I WATCH a few news services daily some emanating from the mainland, some local.

The newsreaders from other states when they cross to a reporter for a non live report don’t try to give the impression that it is live.

When report concluded just go on reading the bulletin.

Not so locally as news readers try to give the impression their non live crosses are live.

I am mystified as to why they do this doesn’t seem to serve any useful purpose.

J Magee, Launceston.

I WAS reassured to see an expert on banking and governance in this country sum up what will happen to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

There will be much anguish from the politicians, humble and contrite assurances from the bank and they will be slapped on the wrists.

No utterances of any royal commission, one does not do this to a hefty donor. Besides we all believe the computer did it don’t we?

Peter Taylor, Midway Point.

INTERESTING to read that a poll commissioned by the Australia Institute has found that a healthy majority of Australian voters believed that the stimulus package, driven by Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan, kept Australia out of recession during the global financial crisis of 2008. 

The package was, at the time, bitterly opposed by the then LNP opposition.

Another potent display of Labor’s economic credentials, not to mention the mealy-mouthed, defeatist nonsenses extended by the coalition during that emergency.

Dave Robinson, Newstead.

I WILL never pay my doctors/specialist accounts again in full.  

It has been over a month and I still haven't got my refund from Medicare.

Beth Collins, Riverside.