At a time when tourism is running gangbusters in Tasmania, and cycling in Tasmania is increasing in popularity, one golden opportunity is not on the political radar.

The ability to walk or cycle from the Bass Strait ferry to Port Arthur and Hobart is missing in action.

Where is the footpath and cycle way between Hobart and Richmond?

Where is the footpath and cycle way between Ross and Campbell Town, or Ross and Tunbridge, where the Midlands Highway upgrade is near completion?

During the last federal election I raised this matter, with the proposal of an Australian Convict Trail running from Moreton Bay to Port Arthur.

For many it would be like a pilgrimage, to discover the foundation stones of the nation.

I wrote to Tasmanian politicians, candidates and councils along the way about this, and received many hearty letters of support, including from the Premier, but nothing happened.

And nothing happening means there is no footpath and cycle way along the multi-million dollar upgrade of the Midlands Highway running from Tunbridge to Ross.

Where is the vision?

SO, I was travelling along Elphin Road heading towards Newstead last Friday morning around 9.25am.

As you would expect it was reasonably heavy traffic.  

When, all of a sudden I was faced with a bus heading towards me in my lane.  

You see the bus driver had come across a pair of avid bike enthusiasts riding side- by-side and decided to give them a 1.5 metre clearance.  

The problem was that that meant he was hurtling towards me and I had nowhere to go.

Luckily, and I do not want to underestimate how lucky, I was able to slam on the brakes and avoid disaster.

So my question is: is the safety of a bike rider more important than my safety?

I don't think so.

TO SAY that the present situation is a circus would be an understatement.

How someone born in Australia and lived here all their life can be a citizen of another country, without applying, is beyond comprehension.

I am sure when our constitution was drawn up more than 100 years ago the present situation would not have been envisaged.

The rule must be changed so that the person disqualified must have lived in the other country or applied for citizenship.There would no doubt be many adoptees that had a parent from another country without knowing it.

Perhaps an easy way would be to ban passport holders of another country.

Rather than deny the country a pool of talent the constitution should be fixed at once, on a bi-partisan basis.

IT WOULD seem somewhat incongruous that a person who has served honourably in Australia's armed forces for a decade, is then deemed not to be a fit and proper person to sit in our federal parliament.

When one considers all the other politicians and crackpots that have, and still do, infest both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Canberra, then the forced resignation of Jacqui Lambie, and other good people, reflects badly upon our institutions and country.

THE DUAL citizenship debarcle is caused by another useless British law.

If you are born in Australia you are Australian, no matter where your parents came from. 

If our overseas Prime Minister spent more time at home, he might get things done in the “not lucky” country anymore.

I WAS sorry to see that Jacqui Lambie had to resign her senate position because of her dual citizenship.

Love her or hate her, whether she made you cringe or cheer, she always spoke her mind and she certainly livened things up in the senate. 

Thanks Jacqui for the entertainment and honesty.

THE RECENT open day at Poatina Power Station on (November 11, 2017) was certainly a reminder of the industrial transformation Tasmania experienced during this period of state growth.

Post-WWII saw an influx of people, especially from war-torn Western and Eastern Europe, to the Hydro schemes of Tasmania.

They had hopes and dreams, for not only themselves, but later, in many cases, their families. 

Subsequently, any thought of privatising this infrastructure has been strongly resisted.

There were strong family connections, and sense of public ownership.

IN REGARD to the nonsense of the axing and replacing of Tasmanian place names deemed offensive there are a couple of questions. 

Who decides which names are offensive?

And what happens if the new names are offensive to someone else?

It could keep a sign writer in a job for years.

With all due respect to sign writers, leave the names as they are.