The Ramsay Centre, chaired by former Prime Minister John Howard, is offering part of a $3 billion bequest from late healthcare magnate Paul Ramsay to establish a degree that promotes “an interest in and awareness of Western civilisation’’.

After the Australian National University rejected the offer, negotiations have been underway with Sydney University which has drafted a memorandum of understanding for a partnership.

The utter hypocrisy of the academics at the meeting is breathtaking. Donations from Islam and China for studies of their religions and civilisations are accepted, but not our own. Not Western Civilisation, which has formed the basis of our constitution, laws, language and democracy.

It seems university academics and education has to be centred on extreme Left, Marxist, neo Socialist ideology of PC and identify politics which is rammed down the throats of all staff and students. Students are no longer educated at uni rather indoctrinated.  Yet a study of Western Civilisation is called out as indoctrination and politically motivated. The left have not only taken away the freedom of speech but also the freedom of thought, the freedom to think.

Perhaps UTAS should offer to host The Ramsey Centre to inject much needed capital and intellectual thought into our university.

EXCLUSIVE accommodation and helicopters at Lake Malbena, heart of the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, at the hidden strike of a rezoning pen?

Again, what arrogance of will still cuts into the core of Tasmanians’ soul; the first peoples hunted in war and removed from the land, the gem of Lake Pedder excised from its safe habour and drowned. 

What blindness ignores the joy in our collective spirit with a Gordon River that runs free. Where is the grace and courage in our leaders to be honourable and trustworthy custodians of the heritage of priceless world wilderness.

ON A recent drive around some of the regional towns in the area, I was struck by how well-kept the homes were with an apparent air of prosperity. Then I thought I wonder how many of them are owned by young employed people or do the majority belong to people who are comfortably retired. It seems that we are gradually becoming a state of retirees. Many from the mainland are attracted by the lifestyle and the cheap housing and move here. I know of a young person who has the cash to buy a home outright, but has difficulty finding a home as they are snapped up by mainland buyers. 

I am not complaining as I am a retiree living in a modest home on a gravel road, which if I live long enough may be sealed. I can’t help but wonder when all these retirees are gone, what will be the employment for those young people in a state that has evolved to service a population of retirees.

PETER Kerslake (The Examiner, November 2) draws an extremely long bow with his comment about teachers, “they are probably more knowledgeable and can relay that knowledge more expediently”.

Perhaps, Mr Kerslake could advise how many publicly schooled 10-year-old children he knows that can, mentally do multiplications and divisions, add and subtract, know how to spell and punctuate without the aid of “modern day aides”.

TEACHERS are taking a stand on report writing because time isn’t allocated during work hours to complete them.

They spend weekends and nights writing them.

When I think of my kid’s teacher, I don’t want them overtired, unrested and on edge.

I want them to be able to notice if my kid’s upset and give him a hug.

I want them to have the time to think about where he's at in his individual learning and plan and prepare to move him forward.

If this means I have to miss out on one report while teachers take a stand necessary to make their voices heard on what’s best for my kid, then so be it.

I trust my kid’s teacher, (the one whose face lights up when she talks about him), to know what’s best for him far more than the politicians who have no idea who he is or what happens in his classroom.

I WOULD like to support the letter from Peter Kerslake of Greens Beach who took umbrage at the letter from Steve Rogers criticising the teaching profession.

Mr Rogers wrote that “teachers today seem to have very little dedication to their job”.

Wow, what an incredibly ignorant and offensive remark.

Further, he wrote that “the strike by teachers disgusts me”.

As Mr Kerslake points out, he ignores other striking professionals like nurses, thank god.

The problem Mr Rogers has is that the strike was called by a union, the institutions he hates almost as much as the Labor party.

His repeated letters are all so predictable.

Talk about “bias”.