Historically, the financial advice industry arose with the increase in wealth of individuals who were saving for retirement, with a substantial and simultaneous increase regarding the emergence of the superannuation industry, due especially to favourable and ever-changing tax implications and benefits by successive federal governments.

A major transformation occurred with life insurance salesmen/saleswomen with trailing commissions and upfront fees their major source of income, almost overnight became financial advisors with the same fraught commissioned based source of income, dependent upon a company, (in small print), who had a financial services licence under which to operate.

As a result, investors were directed to financial products offered by the licence holder, with the highest upfront fees and trailing commissions recommended, irrespective in large part of the client’s best interest. Banks, who were mainly mortgage based, expanded into the lucrative financial services industry, creating their own products for a vertically integrated system which was beneficial to the banks, but not necessarily, to the trusting customer and investor.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Tasmanian Echidnas men’s and women’s volleyball teams who recently competed at the 2018 AVL championships in Melbourne.

Both teams won matches, playing against the best teams across the nation.  

What makes this more special is that the tournament acts as a pre-selection to the Australian National Volleyball League for 2019. The wonderful performance by our teams holds them in good stead to be invited to join the national competition.

Volleyball (beach/indoor) is a great sport for all ages and is an exciting game to watch.  

All credit to players and supporters who worked very hard to raise the funds to attend the tournament.  Hopefully, there may be an individual or business who might like to jump on board as a sponsor. Go Echidnas.

DEPRESSION is a very real and often unnoticed illness.

Unfortunately, the festive season is often a time when the Black Dog (Depression) chooses to rear it’s ugly head.

There can be a myriad of reasons for this but quite often when the dog does bite at this time of the year, the subsequent consequences can be dire.

Depression is not just a one day or one week of feeling lacklustre, but can be a life long burden, those with it often make out to be always happy, but in reality the mirth does not come from the eyes, a charade played at most times to appease others and to hide the inner torment suffered. Please, let us always be available to others, even just to listen and to talk, and those that suffer, always remember you are never alone.

In regard to gender reform and birth certificates (The Examiner, December 6).

I respond to the letters published on the subject matter written by Richard Hale and David Broughton.

With the greatest respect to the writers, the decision by the Legislative Council (LC) was necessary to ensure the legislation being passed was couched in the right terms and was legal.

The top legal mind in the state, the Solicitor General and the Chief Parliamentary Council (officer responsible for drafting State Legislation) advised members of the LC that the legislation as presented, was flawed and riddled with problems and needed much work.

In fact, the LC was told the legislation was a past correction.

As a person who has both worked with and reviewed legislation over a period of 50 years it was obvious much work was needed to rectify the bill.

It was pushed through the House of Assembly (HA) and it is patently obvious the drafting aspects of it were given little consideration, seemingly driven in haste by an ideological agenda.

The amendments were outside the scope of the bill and what happened in the HA was unusual, to say the least – unique in fact and was to ignore expert advice.

To have not listened to and heeded the advice given would have been foolish and without a doubt would have brought ridicule on the LC and considerably tarnished its credibility and reputation as a house of review.

No matter what spin is put on the LC’s decision not to proceed, it was the right and only rational decision in the circumstances.

I AM concerned at the hysteria that seems to be growing from the recent gender bill before our parliament.  

This bill will provide parents with an option, it will not be a mandatory rule.  

Each parent registering a baby will have a choice, to leave the relevant section empty or add gender identity, male or female.

The child's birth certificate will reflect the parents' decision.

If I was to present a row of 20 babies, all looking very cute in their prams, and then challenge anyone to identify the babies whose parents have chosen to leave the gender option bare on their child's certificate, who could tell the difference? And if you can’t tell the difference, how then does this have a negative impact on you?