Most of the “experts” point out the hours worked and the paid holiday time to back their argument against teachers. 

Anyone who thinks a teacher works from 9am to 3pm has obviously never bothered to actually ask those involved for their opinion. 

Our teaching staff are continually asked to complete more tasks that take away from the actual job of teaching our kids.

The hours put in at school and at home would surprise many of these “experts” and may possibly change their dated views on how much work goes into making sure our kids get the best chance to succeed.

People teach because it is the best and most rewarding job in the world, but we need to let them actually focus on doing that job well.

ON A recent visit to Victoria, some friends took me to the Great Ocean Road, Twelve Apostles. While the views and beaches were magnificent the whole experience was ruined by the constant noise of large helicopters taking the more well-off tourists on 10-minute joy rides to view them from sea wards – is this then the fate of our wilderness areas in Tasmania.

The commercial excuse that these areas should be available to all just does not hold water when in the process you destroy and change the very fabric of these vulnerable and delicate environments.

THE recent golf exhibition match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson which netted the winner Mickelson over $9 million (also showing a picture of what that amount of money looks like) is absolutely disgusting. 

It clearly shows how misguided our priorities lie when it comes to what really is important, as there are millions of poverty stricken people all around the globe that could do with a little help from those sorts of dollars.

Just like the obscene amounts paid to many CEOs of companies and the ridiculous amounts of cash splashed out to other sports persons it shows just how blinded we have become to those in need.

Let’s face the cold hard fact: we came into this world with nothing, and we leave the same way. No matter how many millions we have tucked away.

COULD this be a possible future scenario in Tasmania? Two former school friends meet up again after 20 years.

“I guess you’re married with a family.” 

“Yes, three wonderful kids.” 

“Boys or girls?”

“Well that's the exciting thing, we won’t know until the kids are old enough to decide what gender they want to be. How about you?”

“Married with a teenage son and daughter.”

“When did they decide what gender they wanted to be?”

“They didn’t. “We let God decide and everyone in our family is delighted with his choices.”

THE Liberals have finally woken up to the fact that the loud voices of their conservative mates could cost them the election. 

I could have told them that months ago but I guess it's taken the wipeout in Victoria for the lights to come on.

Mind you, what will they do about it, especially here in Tassie where Eric holds sway?

IT SEEMS the Liberal Party has appointed Josh Frydenberg in place of Mathias Cormann as it’s Defender of the Indefensible following the Victorian state election. 

Mr Frydenberg’s referral to the 1992 election along with other irrelevant statistics was the premier comedy sketch of the weekend. Daniel Andrew’s wonderful win was a sweet victory for the “true believers”.

IF THE recent landslide result in the Victorian election is not (yet another), wake up call to the “hard right” of the coalition, nothing is. 

Gone are the days of the “broad church” espoused by Menzies and John Howard.  

In its place we see a self destructive, petty, spiteful, malevolent push from a core of ultra conservatives, to drag the party and the country to the far right of politics.

Unsurprisingly, Abbott, Hastie, Andrews, Kelly, Dutton and Abetz (among others), have gone very quiet in the wake of the Wentworth and Victorian routs. Clearly, Australians reject their toxic politics. 

The Macquarie Dictionary neatly sums up “an extreme right wing ideology” as fascism. 

WHY does Scott Morrison, and now Josh Frydenberg, persist with the ridiculous idea of moving Australian’s Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? 

Maybe they are afraid to admit they made foreign policy on the run in an attempt to win the Jewish votes in the Wentworth byelection.  

Unless a political miracle happens and the Coalition is re-elected it is not going to happen anyway. 

It has put at risk a major trade deal with Indonesia and now has upset the Prime Minister of Malaysia a highly regarded senior statesman in the region. 

Australia makes its own foreign policy, but not on the spur of the moment for cheap political gain, which back fired anyway. 

Australia has to be concerned about China’s influence in the region especially in the Pacific, but must not antagonise two countries with a population of nearly 300 million to our very near North.