Dual naming
TO THE respected readers, growing up as a first nations person in a country that didn't feel like home was isolating.
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It was conflicting growing up between two different identities, one that I didn't feel was me and another, I was told didn't exist.
As I grew up I started to find a sense of self and identity, I connected with my bloodline and for the first time, I felt my life had a meaning and I, had a sense of belonging.
As I grew into an adult I faced the realities of racism, as I was no longer sheltered.
I felt disgust at the cruelty, being told that my ancestors died out long ago, that we are a myth and therefore, I was a liar. Although it hurt, I kept my community close.
However, with time things changed again, through continued self determination from the palawa community, I saw attitudes in the wider community change.
Dual naming isn't just another name, it's history, it's truth.
We, as palawa people, are still here, our culture is still strong and having dual names acknowledges that, and allows this house for us, to become a home.
Bianca Templar, Newnham.
Violent video games
ROBERT Lee (Letters, June 1) states he believes that Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick ‘is on to something…’ when it comes to blaming violent video games for causing people to engage in mass shootings.
Mr Lee states he agrees with such a view but presented no evidence to support it as having any factual basis. That lack of evidence may be due to the fact there is none.
Decades of research have shown no direct link between playing violent video games (or watching violent movies) and a propensity for increased aggression, let alone engage in mass killings using a firearm.
What the available evidence does show is that when a society allows almost unfettered access to military grade semi-automatic (that can be easily converted to fully automatic) weapons then mass shootings invariably follow.
Those types of weapons are designed for one thing: to kill mass numbers of humans quickly. Blaming video games is to simply look for a scapegoat that doesn’t exist.
Geoff McLean, Launceston.
Home care packages
AS A leading provider of local home care, Community Care Tasmania supports Dr Kim Wylie’s concerns, (Letters, June 2) that there will continue to be a significant shortfall in the number of home care packages available to Tasmanians.
We estimate that despite the additional packages made available in the recent budget there will continue to be significant shortages.
Put simply Australia needs to be able to have a serious debate about how we are going to fund the necessary level of home care for our ageing population.
Putting this in the too hard basket will create a huge social problem down the track.
Regarding Dr Wylie’s implication that home care providers are free from scrutiny and profiting from package funds, client funds can only be used for care services.
Providers must work with participants to develop a care plan with the government funds and provide clear statements of charges to all clients.
Clients can ask for information about their package at any time. If they are not satisfied they can vote with their feet, and many do. When leaving a home care package any left-over government contributed funds are returned to help fund other packages.
If a client changes providers the funds must go with them.
The current system is far from perfect and should be always open to review and improvement but there are processes in place that promote accountability and transparency.
If people have concerns I’m sure Minister Ken Wyatt would be keen to hear from them.
Wendy Mitchell, CEO, Community Care Tasmania.
Cambria Development
PURSUANT to the proposed Cambria development, near Swansea, a number of questions must be asked due to the enormity of such a proposal including:
Infrastructure – water and sewerage – who pays, and what costs, if any, are to be borne by Glamorgan Spring Bay municipal residents?
What are the environmental consequences of such a development behemoth?
An amendment to the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council planning scheme, specific to the development must stipulate any deviation from the original proposal, will enact a totally new planning process, to avoid or dissuade any possible future land division and/or speculation.
Kenneth Gregson, Swansea.
Abortion
WHEN penguins are found dead in a rubbish bin it is, without doubt, a sad and tragic story (The Examiner, June 9).
When an unborn child is tossed in a bucket, it to, I feel, is a sad and tragic story.
Yet the story of an unborn child appears to have no consequence and be of no importance.
Yes, save our penguins, but save our unborn children, too. Give our penguins protection, but give our unborn children protection as well.
Neither can speak for themselves.
Elizabeth Heckscher, Newstead.
Palliative Care
I TOTALLY agree with Barb Baker (Letters, June 10). The lack of a dedicated palliative care hospice in the North is a disgrace.
Sadly her comments regarding a total lack of care about this issue by both the Health Minister and Premier are obvious.
They apparently have not been in the position of having a dying relative requiring palliative care.
Watch how quickly a hospice is built once someone they know needs to be admitted. Instead of spending millions on improving the Brisbane Street Mall, which continues to lose business, how about building a hospice?
And if that doesn’t give you enough favourable publicity, try building more accommodation for our homeless.
F. O’Sullivan, Riverside.