While I have every sympathy for the concerns expressed in Ms Johnston-Andrews’ excellent letter; indeed share many of them, to not vote allows those in power to avoid responsibility for their actions opening the gate for corruption, and there has been many examples of this at all levels of government in recent times.

Now and over the years people have sacrificed their lives, or spent time incarcerated, fighting for the simple right to vote and live in a democracy where governments can be changed by the simple use of a pencil rather than at the end of a gun in armed revolution.

Not to vote is a moral crime if nothing else and voting should, in my opinion, be compulsory in all elections.

IT SEEMS that some motorbike riders and hoon car drivers see a magical sign as they approach the roundabout coming from Kings Meadows that says “pedal to the metal”. 

For years now it has been happening and you might see a police car maybe once a week, if that, and because it’s marked no offence will occur.

Three nights ago a motorbike with a pillion passenger left the roundabout heading up Boiton Hill Road, on its back wheel. Police have been pleading for motorbike riders to take more care. 

If the police were to place an unmarked car with camera attached on the top of Boiton Hill and Opossum roads pointing towards the roundabout for 24 hours the state coffers would get a bonus.

THE recent feature in The Examiner highlighting a multimedia campaign designed to reduce the number of tourists involved in motorcycle crashes is a great start, but there is a far bigger problem involving motoring tourists, and while they may not be recorded in statistics, they certainly cause concern to a large number of motorists who daily witness near misses on our roads.

They, of course are the much wanted international visitors to our state – but we allow them to take control of a motor vehicle without the experience or common sense knowledge of our roads. 

We allow them to hire a vehicle and don’t even bother to educate them of the basic road rules and conditions that they will endure whilst touring our state.

Perhaps we need to have our international drivers undertake a course to at least get their “simulated licence” endorsed before they join us on our roads, as it appears that you don’t need an Australian drivers licence to hire a vehicle, yet we all know what is currently required to even gain a drivers licence in Tasmania.

If that is all too hard then at least make it compulsory that a large T plate, similar to the L and P plate, is placed on both front and back windows of the rental vehicle to warn other road users. If there is a concern that will attract attention to them having valuables in the vehicle, then take the T plates down when not driving.

I AM appalled by those trying to link the same-sex marriage plebiscite with the proposal of changing birth certificates to exclude sex as an identifying trait. 

SSM was debated and discussed all over the country and the resulting vote showed the public was confident that SSM was good for us all.

This idea of being able to legally change sex on a whim has not been debated by the public or even looked at by the Tasmanian Law Reform Commission, but a small minority of people want to rush it through without public or legal consultation.  

This subject has elicited hundreds of questions, but very few answers.

Our politicians should not be debating this issue by themselves without the Tasmanian Law Reform Commission thoroughly investigating the matter first.

WELL, the old guard are at it again and are out in force with the same old rhetoric they used for the “no” side in the marriage equality plebiscite. 

Their hope is to spread negativity without even a thought for those who will benefit greatly from legal changes to the way births are recorded.

The sky did not fall after equal marriage laws were introduced and neither will the sky fall when legislation is passed that will affect only that small minority who are transgender or intersex. 

This alteration to the way births are recorded will not affect me and it will not affect the vast majority of Australians - but it will mean a great deal to those who will benefit and it will make their lives easier. 

Let’s not delay this important legislation: to do so would be cruel and absolutely unnecessary. I have every faith in the Legislative Council to cut through the negative and misleading nonsense and I respectfully urge them to approve this important legislation that will improve, immeasurably the lives of many  Tasmanians.

I’M DEEPLY disappointed by the misinformation about the gender law reforms currently before our parliament. 

These reforms will help lift the burden of discrimination faced by transgender, gender diverse and intersex Tasmanians. 

No one else will be affected.

I’m particularly saddened by the government’s insistence this go to an inquiry, when that is so clearly just an attempt to kick these overdue reforms into the long grass. 

I urge Tasmanians to remember the sky didn’t fall in when homosexuality was decriminalised, or when we allowed same-sex marriages, and it won’t fall in now.