COMMENT: The Gabba rebuild and parallels with Macquarie Point Stadium

Sounds a lot compared to the Mac Point stadium Premier Rockliff tells us will be $715 million, but consider the far, far greater wealth and population of Queensland and heed the words of their Premier on the subject: "When people in this state are struggling with housing costs and the cost of living among other crippling financial outgoings, I cannot justify to them spending that amount of money on a new stadium."

If our Premier could emulate that sentiment, I reckon there would be a very loud cheer state wide.

Common sense dictates ours would be well over $1 billion by the time the last brick was laid.

Ron Baines, Kings Meadows

FEDERAL Court Justice Michael Lee's judgement regarding the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case was perhaps epitomised by his comment of "Having escaped the lion's den, Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat".

Kenneth Gregson, Swansea

I HEARD this morning that the adjustment for HECS debt may get up as much as 4.8 per cent. That is quite amazing since the government adjusted the Age Pension last month by less than 2 per cent. The recipients of it are increasingly worse off as our inflation is well above that amount. Didn't the Prime Minister promise that no one should be worse off under his government?

Ute Mueller, Lapoinya

RESEARCH commissioned by Dementia Australia and undertaken by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2023 shows the number of Australians living with dementia is expected to nearly double by 2054.

In 2024 it is estimated there are more than 10,600 people living with all forms of dementia in Tasmania. This figure is projected to increase to around 16,500 by 2054.

No one should have to face dementia alone.

Dementia Australia is here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If you or a loved one have a diagnosis of dementia, or mild cognitive impairment, or you're concerned about changes to your cognition or that of a loved one, call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.

Maree McCabe AM, CEO Dementia Australia

IN RESPONSE to: ''No apologies': Woolworths CEO put on blast by Tasmanian Senators' (The Examiner, April 17): Why not just say the number Brad? Wouldn't have even made the news. But looking like you're ducking, dodging, and trying to direct the agenda in Senate committee will definitely get you noticed. You didn't CEO very well. That's ok, not long to go.

Glenn Bryan, Launceston

AS WE reflect on the recent Tasmanian state election, it's evident that the message regarding the importance of numbering 1 to 7 when voting did not reach many, leading to a staggering 60,000 informal votes. This significant number of informal votes underscores that many voters were either not fully aware of the correct numbering when casting their vote or our community that disengaged that voters simply cast an informal vote.

In a democracy, every vote counts, and it's crucial for voters to understand the intricacies of the voting process to ensure their voices are heard correctly. Clearly the message on "how to vote" was not clear and possibly deprived thousands of Tasmanians of their right to participate fully in the democratic process.

Moving forward, it's imperative that all political parties and electoral authorities prioritise voter education initiatives to prevent a recurrence of such high rates of informal voting. By empowering voters with the knowledge they need to cast their ballots correctly, we can strengthen the integrity and inclusivity of our electoral system.

Phil Tobin, Breona

THE Federal Labor Party must now be of the opinion that Australia has, in some magical manner, become invincible to human induced climate change because they are now pushing as hard as possible to be able to approve many more coal and gas mining projects. These projects are the actual cause of human induced climate change. Becoming invincible reminds me of the terrible Titanic disaster many years ago. Invincibility failed badly at that time.

Brian Measday, Kingswood SA