Their sacrifice in 1917, along with the thousands of other defence force personnel who died since, upheld the foundations of our country’s civil and legal system which strives to ensure that everyone  has a “fair go”.

What is currently happening to the 600 refugees on Manus Island is a blot on the landscape of the sacrifices made be our soldiers.

Both the government and opposition have created a situation that is against the values most Australians hold when it comes to responding to vulnerable  people in distress.

To expect the government of Papua New Guinea to resolve this refugee problem on behalf of Australia is beyond the pale.

A bi-partisan approach is urgently needed to ensure that these refugees are removed from a country that is simply not equipped to take them and, after nearly five long years, to settle every one of them in Australia.

I AM writing this at the request of an elderly lady (80ish), who has a small acreage in our vicinity.

She supplements her age pension by having a veggie garden, keeping poultry, plus a few orphan lambs donated by nearby farmers. Because she lives in close proximity to bushland, she has to have a firearm small calibre worth about $25, to deter vermin (crows, rats, starlings, etc) from her property.

Now she has been told she must upgrade her firearm storage to meet new regulations. An outlay she claims will cost her several $100s, just to store one firearm. It is the same regulation as someone owning multiple firearms worth perhaps 20 times more.

In tears she told me she will have to sell some of her pet lambs to raise the finance to meet the new regulations.

Surely the politicians who passed these new laws would understand no-one is going to break in and steal an item worth $25. 

Surely the current storage requirements should be adequate where only a couple of fire-arms of limited value is concerned. But then our politicians are city bred and have no understanding of rural requirements.

Apart from keeping her livestock safe, the lady says having a firearm in the house gives her a sense of security.

She has been a gun owner since her 12th birthday. I have no doubt this is not an isolated case and is probably repeated many more times in Tasmanian rural communities.

HOW many more? With Senate President Stephen Parry suddenly discovering that he is a British citizen, in the shadow of the High Court decision on a gang of five, are we, the mere public, being treated to a slow motion water torture of revelations?

Are there any more dual citizens illegally occupying seats in our parliament, or are we to wait for weekly revelations of parliamentary illegality, as the red queen takes off yet another head.

Once the nature of the problem was known weeks ago, wasn’t that the time for former Senator Parry to put his cards on the table?

We, the fools who merely vote, watch this shadow play and wonder, who will be next?

The call for an audit of the whole parliament is now the only way forward.

The once Senator, Stephen Parry, has revealed the need for that.

How soon will this happen?

QUESTION on different horse riding techniques. Why do some women ride side-saddle and men don’t, when it’s men who need protection?

ALTHOUGH not a sport minded person myself, I have at times felt the attraction and of course we are all competitive to some degree.

However, the true reason that governments donate very large sums of money to this end, apart from appeasing the concerns of lobbyists with vested interests, is to distract the public attention from matters that they would rather be hidden or missed by us.

Governments of all persuasions attempt to move us away from situations they deem the public shouldn’t be concerned with.

I TOTALLY agree with A.R. Trounson, (The Examiner, November 5). I have had undiagnosed abdominal pain since June, yet no doctor or specialist can tell me why, regardless of all the tests I’ve undergone.

Sometimes the sick just want answers, no matter how confronting they might be.

I’M SO against animal cruelty. Why do we love dogs, wear pigs and eat cows? Well done to those who stood up for animal cruelty on November 5.

HERE’S a thought on the dual citizenship debacle that consumes federal politics and frustrates voters.

If dual citizens are ineligible to sit as members of the federal parliament why are they eligible to vote in federal elections?

Is it fair that a portion of the population can have a say in the political outcome in Australia as well as another foreign country?

WE ARE so fortunate to have such lovely walkways along the Tamar River. The City of Launceston supplies excrement collection bags which some owners refuse to use, particularly along the boardwalk.

This is a shared area which many people enjoy. Please consider others and clean up.