The latest not so funny person is Sue Hickey. Ms Hickey is suggesting that the best Health Minister Tasmania has had for a very long time should take a break?

Is Ms Hickey offering her expertise ? Sue Hickey was a Mayor of Hobart and opted to join the Liberal Party of Tasmania.

She is in the speakers chair by default, grabbing the chance from Rebecca White of the Labor Party that put forward her nomination in parliament and Ms Hickey accepted, knowing that Rene Hidding was to hold that position.

She took the seat, with Labor support, and now (as speaker who is usually quiet on policy issues) comes out regarding the Health Ministers ability of administering his policy.

I have seen this behaviour before in the workplace. Its egotistical, and the way she comes across to me she is not a team or party member.

Show your cards Ms Hickey. Which team are you playing with?

Steve Rogers, South Launceston.

ANYONE who believes that conflict within the coalition has improved need only look at the demands being placed on our new Prime Minister by the right wing of the Liberal party.

The usual populist stance on immigrants to be dispatched to areas designated by the government, those dole bludgers to be made to accept any job in the farming industry, and of course, the denial of any report no matter how many eminent scientists are involved that climate change because of the burning of fossil fuels is causing a dramatic increase in the frequency and the strength of cyclones and the damage to property and loss of life.

A Carter, Mowbray.

THE council’s efforts to overcome congestion in this area are applauded in helping reduce congestion at the Lindsay to Goderich intersection. The road behind Office Works already exists and should be more utilised.

I would like to make some further suggestions: Wharf Road linking the western ends of Lindsay and Gleadow streets should be upgraded to provide another ingress-egress for the new Motor Museum and Riverbend Park.

Ultimately council should plan to make Wharf Road link up with Forster Street, then Murphy Street.  If the latter was then extended past the sewerage farm to finally join the Northern Outlet at the Mowbray connector, which it is planned to upgrade, traffic flow would be further improved.

It is always desirable to have more than one route to reach popular destinations and with Launceston’s upgraded levies there is considerable land in this area now available for more intensive use.

Dick James, Launceston.

WHY is there no sense of community at St Leonards? Why do residents not talk to their next door neighbour? What can be done to solve this?

What about a Sunday car boot sale at the village green. Could the City of Launceston Council build us a barbecue?

Leon Cooper, St Leonards.

IT’S important to address some of the myths and misinformation about the transgender, intersex and gender diverse law reforms being proposed in Tasmania.

These proposals will not "criminalise" parents of intersex children.

They will provide parents with a long-overdue legal and policy framework that will help them deal with the difficult choices they face.

These reforms will not stop the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages from collecting data on the sex and gender of children. They will allow gender references to be removed from birth certificates, in the same way they were removed from drivers licences years ago.

Those who want gender references on their birth certificate will still be able to have them. These reforms are not "secret".

We have been lobbying for them for almost 20 years and the government has had specific legislative proposals on its desk since earlier this year. Indeed, before approaching any other party, we took our proposed amendments to the Liberal Government in the hope equality would be enacted with tri-partisan support.

These reforms are not "controversial". Despite months of debate, there has been very little concern expressed within the community. These reforms are not "radical".

They are a sensible solution to the problem that Tasmanian law treats transgender and gender-diverse people more harshly than any other state.

These reforms do not affect all Tasmanians, only those transgender and gender diverse people who face discrimination because years of government inaction mean our laws are backward and repressive.

There is no need for the inquiry being proposed by the government, because there was an inquiry into exactly the same issue by the state Anti-Discrimination Commissioner as recently as 2016.

We accept there is a need for an inquiry into the intersex reforms, because they cross across many different areas of law.

But the other reforms are straightforward, and another inquiry will serve no purpose other than to further delay long overdue reform.

I urge Tasmanians who are concerned about the proposed reforms to talk to transgender and gender diverse people about how the law damages our lives, instead of accepting fear-mongering campaigns at face value. Like all other Tasmanians, all we want is to be treated with equal dignity by the law - and with respect by our fellow citizens.

Martine Delaney, (on behalf of Transforming Tasmania), Risdon Vale.