Launceston
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I BELIEVE the majority of thinking people would agree that both State and local governments have given up on a fast decaying Launceston.
It is cruel to old eyes to see the decline in a once vibrant city while today’s current image depicts it’s real needs are certainly being ignored.
We read the intention to enlarge the non-smoking areas of the city for health reasons but forget about the raw sewage flowing past the front door, perhaps that requires quite some responsible thought.
It seem our State Government feels more comfortable ignoring the whole issue until they find their bookmark when election time is closing in, and of course the next inexplicable issue for most simple minds to justify a body such as UTAS intending to move into the heart of this disaster area.
— GEOFF SMEDLEY, Launceston.
Tobacco
THE news about the murder of Litvinenko reminded me that millions of deaths using Polonium-210 happen every day, courtesy of the tobacco industry.
For decades the tobacco industry has covered up the fact that radioactive Polonium-210 is in tobacco, and that it causes lung cancer.
In Tasmania, lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer.
One published researcher said “Cigarette packs should carry a radiation exposure warning label".
Another good reason to support the Tobacco Free Generation amendment, currently before state parliament, and get rid of this product forever.
The Tasmanian acting Director of Public Health, Dr. Mark Veitch said on oath to a Parliamentary Committee last year that one or two Tasmanians die every day from tobacco.
That means over 40 Tasmanians have been killed by tobacco since Christmas.
Furthermore, the Australian government recently recalled some hoverboards, a chair, and a cinema cup, none of which killed anyone.
It is time to “recall” tobacco.
— KATHRYN BARNSLEY, Kingston.
Gambling
FEDERAL Hotels is responsible for gambling in Tasmania, they have now been joined by Hydro Tasmania.
According to The Examiner, (January 20), Hydro continued to sell power to Victoria while gambling that there would not be a drought.
THEY gambled that the Bass Link cable would not break down and if it did, could be repaired in 60 days.
Gambled that they would no-longer require the Gas Fired Tamar Valley Power Station, started dismantling the main Mitsubishi turbine and gambled that they could send the smaller Trent Open Cycle turbine back to England for ‘repairs’ (in summer) with no return date.
And at what cost?
State resources depleted, recently made redundant power-station staff rehired, industry slowing down and a total lack of community confidence.
The gambling hotline number is 1800 858 858.
Matthew Groom (Energy Minister) and Stephen Davy (CEO Hydro) should make the call.
— M. HOUSE, Launceston.
Cats
MILLIONS of feral cats to be culled’ in an effort to save the lives of nearly 1,500 native Australian animals according to a recent report (The Examiner, January 23).
It is recognised and accepted that feral cats “…pose the biggest threat to native Australian fauna” with the destruction and havoc they wreak amongst our native wildlife.
I am aware of anecdotal evidence of one of these monsters, weighing as much as a whopping 15kgs, causing death and devastation on the West Tamar until it was eliminated yet what can the average person, or indeed local councils, legally do to counteract the effect of such creatures?
Absolutely nothing as, once again, Tasmania lags behind other states, such as Victoria and WA, which have existing legislation enabling local government and pet owners to implement, or take advantage, of measures such as compulsory cat registration, desexing and microchipping in addition to facilitating trapping of such beasts.
It is time the Tasmanian government woke up to the problem and introduced, as a matter of 'extreme urgency', legislation which will enable appropriate measures to be taken to reduce, and hopefully totally eliminate, feral cats from Tasmania.
— JIM COLLIER, Cat Management Coordinator, Legana Community Group.
Forestry
FIVE HUNDRED and fifteen thousand Tasmanians own a great public asset in its public production forests.
These forests provide us one of nature’s miracles: sustainable, recyclable timber.
Forestry Tasmania is tightly restricted in where it can operate to harvest this great product that we all rely on.
It is also required by law to regenerate all forests following harvesting to ensure that the environment is protected and our children will also have timber in the future.
The Lapoinya protesters seek to break this model for a modest area of previously harvested forest which happens to abutt their own properties.
If they succeed, it would set a dangerous precedent for all of Australia, because trees take decades to mature.
It is understandable that those who live next to an area of production forest grow very attached to their present environment, and forget that the forest is being carefully managed and regrown for future harvesting.
However, if the protesters at Lapoinya succeed in overturning the harvest, regrow, harvest cycle, they will actually be privatising for themselves an asset owned by everyone.
— ROSS HAMPTON, Australian Forest Products Association ceo.
Marriage equality
DAVID Bulmer-Rizzi, 32, died after falling down stairs while on his honeymoon in Adelaide.
His husband Marco Bulmer-Rizzi, 38, was unable to plan a funeral as the state did not recognise him as next-of-kin.
The men, who lived in Sunderland, legally married in London last year, but South Australia does not currently recognise same-sex marriages, even foreign ones, as legal partnerships.
David Bulmer-Rizzi's father, Nigel Bulmer, as next-of-kin under South Australian law, was forced to approve all decisions surrounding his son's death, despite telling authorities they are his son-in-law's choices to make.
“My entire life was denied in front of me because being married to David was my life.” Marco stated.
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said the government had begun to remove laws from the statue books that were examples of “senseless discrimination”.
— DEIDRE MURRAY, Lucaston.
Aboriginality
PREMIER Will Hodgman’s announcement to change the Aboriginality criteria is a slap in the face to the Tasmanian aboriginal people who have fought long and hard to have our identity recognised.
The current eligibility criteria ensures one must have definite aboriginal ancestry and be known as being aboriginal by the aboriginal community.
Aboriginal people can pass this test, non-aboriginal people cannot.
Having these safeguards in place not only ensures the aboriginal community’s credibility but it prevents non-aborigines from claiming to be to be aboriginal and using services they are not entitled to or interfering with community business.
The aboriginal community have the right to determine our own process for aboriginality and the current process is what the community have already agreed upon.
The only people who want change are the people who cannot provide evidence of their aboriginality and its questionable as to why Mr Hodgman is willing to back them, knowing that the genuine aboriginal community will strongly oppose these proposed changes.
— ADAM THOMPSON, Launceston.
United not disharmony
I AM a descendant of the Murphy, Feutrill and Atto families of Tasmania, who included First and Second Fleet marines along with the two convicts that they married.
They helped found this nation which is envied by the world and in which I am very glad to live.
I think it would be a very good idea if we all celebrated as one united people instead of the disharmony that some people seem to want.
— JOY WILSON, Narre Warren, Victoria.
Australia Day
STAN Grants’ address this week only reinforces the thoughts of indigenous Australians.
We know that you are not personally responsible for the past, however the present is a very different issue.
The state of indigenous affairs in this country after 200+ years is abhorrent: education, health, poverty, alcoholism, abuse, incarceration and suicide all basket cases when it comes to indigenous port-folios.
Millions upon millions of dollars ill spent with regressive outcomes.
Does anyone care?
Probably not.
I shudder when I hear the catch cry from Australians when the issue of Australia Day comes up and we air our grievances once again, only to be met with, “Get Over It”.
It’s easy for white Australians to say this, as they have never been on the receiving end of racism and have no idea of what that entails.
Racism that most if not all indigenous Australians have to endure, in this country on a daily basis.
— SARAH FINCH, Legana.