Recycling
NSW has recently introduced return and earn, a 10 cents per container deposit scheme, to encourage the return of plastic drink containers, drink cans and beer bottles and cans.
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The scheme is proving successful with some reports suggesting people are raiding local recycling centres to find containers to recycle.
I understand NT and SA have had similar schemes for many years and these have been successful in cutting down roadside rubbish and as a consequence reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill.
All parties and candidates ought to look at adopting such a scheme in Tasmania and make a commitment to introduce it, making it operational by 2020.
In NSW the scheme works in conjunction with a major supermarket chain. The deposit is paid to a PayPal account or as a voucher to be spent in the supermarket or a donation can be made to a number of nominated charities. Glass, plastic, cans and even fruit boxes can be returned.
Let's have a commitment from all parties and candidates to support a Tasmanian version of return and earn.
The war on waste and the war on plastic will not be won with just one battle but in small incremental steps.
So come on Libs, Labor, Greens and Lambie's candidates what about cross party, bi-partisan support for such a idea.
Roger Smith, Trevallyn.
Freedom of choice
I CAME to Tasmania in 1978.
My first job was working in the local pub.
I very quickly learnt that the Aussie way of life included gambling in some form, from buying scratchie tickets or ‘lucky’ tickets with the chance to win cash, betting on horse and dog races, 8-ball competitions for money or free beer, and every Friday night they had meat raffles etc.
In 1986 I started working at the Country Club Tasmania.
I thank the Farrell family, especially John and Greg, for being the best employers that I have ever had.
Federal Group have been innovative leaders in the hospitality industry and have put Tasmania on the map.
The Labor Party and Green’s plan to remove pokies from pubs will destroy the industry and countless jobs and put financial stress on us.
It will rob our customers of the freedom to choose where they play pokies on this beautiful island, exactly as the Labor Party robbed families of the rights to build a house on acreages of less than 50 hectares, destroying them financially.
In 2006 Labor introduced their dictator law prohibiting families to build on their land (The Examiner, November 24, 2006).
Pokies must stay in pubs and clubs in Tasmania for the benefit of all.
Dom Fialho, Exeter.
LGH Care
MY HUSBAND and I wish to express our gratitude and admiration, for the outstanding care my husband received on a recent visit to the Short Stay Surgical Unit at Launceston General Hospital.
The attending medical officer was courteous, very thorough, and engaged with him, in establishing
how my husbands problem could best be treated.
It was refreshing to be included in a pre-procedure discussion and to be given an explanation of how it would be conducted.
Nursing staff were very professional and caring to both my husband and myself.
They also followed up after discharge, to ensure that everything was progressing well.
LGH can be very proud of their high quality staff and of the standard of care that they are proud to deliver to their patients.
We are very fortunate to have such a high quality health facility here in Launceston.
Brian and Mary Bates, Exeter.
Quo vadis Tasmania?
MALCOLM McCulloch (The Examiner, February 17) clearly realises the Greens can never and will never, produce a functional arm of government. Blatant and immature idealism may address serious problems in our society, but it will never produce any functional results. A social philosophy that will not accommodate compromise is and always will be, doomed to failure.
Here in Tasmania the inclusion of Greens to form a government was and always destined to be, an absolute disaster. Heaven forbid that we should walk down that path again. That dreadful fiscal edge of a cliff nightmare that we were forced into by two politically unhinged minority factional political nonentities.
Right now, and times will at some future date indicate other choices, Tasmania needs a strong majority government and the choice is singular. Labor needs time for its self inflicted scars to heal. The Greens have already proved their administrative incompetence and a host of so-called independents thrusting their spanners in the works of progressive government is surely unthinkable.
Len Langan, Longford.
Coalition
WE HEAR about the desirability of majority government, and how the current government won’t have a bar of joint government with the Greens. This attitude is echoed in both state and federal areas. Now, isn’t this a bit hypocritical when you find that for as far back as you care to go, the Liberals have formed a coalition government with the National Party, previously called the Country Party. Without this coalition they wouldn’t be in a bull’s roar of forming government. \
Would it be fair to say that this attitude really indicates that the Liberals are not interested in hearing any opinions other than their own? So much for governing for all of the people. Unless you are a supporter of their party, your wants, needs, and opinions are not going to get a look in. Wouldn’t it be great if every now and then, politicians and political parties accepted that other peoples and parties are sometimes of a somewhat beneficial nature and worthwhile supporting?