Yes to tourism, no to private development
RECENTLY I went on a bushwalk in the walls of Jerusalem National Park. What struck me while I was there was the world of natural silence that one enters when one walks into a national park. Being able to hear the screech of the currawongs, the wind rising through the pencil pine trees, the sound of a creek trickling through the peat, how good is that? How refreshing it was to hear this mountain music, free from the mechanised noise that surrounds our day-to-day lives. How awful it would be to have the silence of this type of experience broken by the intrusion of helicopters whirling over, ferrying wealthy visitors to private enclaves within the park (The Examiner, November 7).
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This is the scenario we face as the government has approved a private development within the park at Lake Malbena (after secretly rezoning its wilderness classification with no community support). This proposal will allow the developers to fly tourists into the park so they can have a glossy magazine-type wilderness experience at the expense of the rest of the community who frequent the park by foot.
Helicopters clipping their way across the pristine silence of our national parks should not be allowed.
That the government ignored the advice of the state’s peak stakeholder body for parks, the National Park and Wildlife Advisory Council, and approved the Lake Malbena development and helicopter use beggars belief. Tourism is booming in Tasmania, and this is a good thing. Tourists come to see our wild lands, breath the fresh air and hear the silence of nature.
There is no justification to open our parks to private development – there are plenty of places for helicopters and fishing lodges to be established outside of our parks.
To allow private tourism developments in our national parks is a travesty and a line in the sand issue for thousands of Tasmanian anglers, bush walkers and nature lovers who recently united in Launceston for a public rally. These groups represent tens of thousands of Tasmanians who cherish our parks for the many values they offer the pubic.
The privatisation of our national parks is an issue that does not have the social license of the Tasmanian community to proceed. Privatisation of our parks only benefits a few individuals while the majority will suffer from inputs like helicopter noise and inappropriate development in places where there should only be wombats loping and eagles soaring. The privatisation of our national parks should not be allowed. Say no to helicopters and say yes to preserve our national parks as they are.
Don Defenderfer, Launceston.
Chinese Paranoia
WE’RE hearing cries that the Chinese are taking over our country, buying up property and creating harm for our country. I reject this entirely.
Look at the history of land ownership in Australia. Firstly it was the British, but the impoverishment of two world wars ended that. Then in steps the Americans post World War II. Next in the ’70s and ’80s it was a rampant Japan buying up real estate here. More recently it has been Chinese investment.
Our country is still here, they can’t ship that overseas. Foreign investments pay Australian workers, transporters and pay rates and taxes just as we do. Australia needs foreign investment to develop its resources and thus make our country richer. And as ordinary Australians we make choices on what we buy from where. Always check source labels of foodstuffs you buy and support our home grown in this way.
Dick James, Launceston.
Perspective
PLEASE Dr Darren Pullen (The Examiner, November 8) some perspective. The Ramsey grant for a degree on Western Civilisation comes with strings attached - namely they want to exercise input and control over the curriculum. This is what the ANU has said no to - surrendering its independence. In a world in which money can seemingly buy everything this is surely one value we should be lauding and supporting.
Far from being bastions of extreme leftist values our universities are beacons for international students; and business graduates are almost double that of those studying the social sciences. Western civilisation is rich in achievement, it is also robust enough to to be critically examined in the time honoured way of all independent thinking universities.
Tony Newport, Hillwood.
National Anthem
I REFER to Geoff McLean (The Examiner, November 3) regarding his ongoing comments on the national anthem.
Mr McLean seems to have this obsession that somehow there is some sort of conspiracy to forcibly strip children of their basic rights, which is absolute nonsense, there is no patriotism etc., going on, only an attempt to exaggerate and diversify.
Mr McLean in his eagerness to score some points jumps on the words “forced conformity”, in desperation, to give that one some twist also. Well conformity (to comply) affects us all in our everyday lives, whether it be at work or play and wait for it, at school. Also, it is interesting to note that throughout the course of these comments no-one else has once referred to the world “forced”, other than Mr McLean who uses it five times.
The single issue involved here is the national anthem and the clear disrespect for not standing, for which Mr McLean’s support is now well-known.
I invite Mr McLean to reflect on the various venues around the country, where millions of Aussies stand in unification, shoulder to shoulder for the anthem, in a display of basic respect, and then say that the solidarity for the anthem should be diminished or is unworthy.
The AFL Grand Final is a prime example displayed all around the world. Mr McLean can go on playing his ludicrous word games, promoting minority divisions in this country will never deter the “fair dinkum” Aussie solidarity.