National Highway
TO QUOTE Pauline Hanson, please explain. A few years ago Bass Strait was declared a National Highway.
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John Howard promised a reasonable waiting time frame to travel. Tried to book on January 5, 2018, for a trip and we were told couldn’t get on the Spirit until May 17.
Is this a reasonable time? After going to the press on January 16 surprise, we could get a passage on March 20. Forward to 2019 and there is a waiting time of over two months.
With daily sailings promoted through the summer, why do I see the Spirit moored during the day several days a week?
Once you could pay a deposit at time of booking to secure your passage then remainder 10 days before departure but no more full fare to be paid at the time of booking even if you book six months or more in advance.
Pensioners under pressure once again.
Then to rub salt into wounds the subsidy paid by the federal government ($440 each way in our case as we had a caravan) to compensate being isolated from the mainland to help our costs on the national highway is not passed onto the customers, but kept by the state government. Why does freight take priority over passengers?
This is the reason we have been given at times. Thought this was a passenger ferry.
Jeremy Rockliff announced recently record freight on Spirit in the last 12 months. Is it a passenger ferry or freight ship? Got a van?
Well, you just wait.
Come on pollies, please explain.
I will await $880 rebate cheque in the mail, thank you.
J. Radford, Newnham.
Launceston CBD
I DON’T understand why the Launceston City Council finds it so hard to comprehend why shops are going out of business and closing in the city centre.
Anyone would tell you it’s all about parking. Why would someone go through the hassle of finding a parking place and having to keep returning to feed the meter, or pay the exorbitant costs of the multi-storey car parks when they can drive to somewhere like Bunnings and park with no hassles and buy most of their needs?
The answer should be simple, make the car parks a place where people can park for a long period for a minimal charge.
Sure the car parks would operate at a loss but that would be more than offset by the increase in business as the city centre once again became a popular place to visit.
If they stop using the car parks as a place to raise money and see them as an essential service, things might start to look up once again.
Malcolm McCulloch, Pipers River.
Trevallyn traffic
As the size, speed and volume of vehicles travelling along Trevallyn Road increases so does the danger for pedestrians and motorists crossing from the tiny hidden South Esk Road turnoff.
Lets install traffic lights at that site before an inevitable fatality.
Anna Fitzpatrick, Trevallyn.
Life Saving Drugs
IT is with both gratitude and praise for federal Health Minister Greg Hunt who trots out on a weekly basis the cost of life-saving drugs and the well-deserved examples.
It is indeed agreed by all that these life-saving drugs are so very much appreciated by those in desperate despair, who urgently need them as life-saving medications and rightly so.
However, Mr Hunt would be well served by extending some considerable gratitude to the millions of taxpayers/pensioners who are also making a huge contribution by way of massively reduced Medicare rebates as well as the removal of various medications which were previously included on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.
Obviously, all together throughout the country, Mr Hunt would have to agree that these would amount to millions of dollars pouring into the government’s coffers.
Allan Carey, Riverside.
Pioneer Water Dilemma
HERE is a township that has been used as a political football.
The town's water supply has gone from Dorset Council to TasWater and the whole issue of a town wanting drinkable water and sufficient supply of other water for firefighting is not being met.
A decision was made to install tanks to be filled from rainwater.
Pity if there is no rain.
Any excess to be stored in another tank to be used for firefighting.
There is insufficient water in the tanks around the town to fill any water tanker to fight a fire.
The road to the Pioneer Lake is in an appalling state and would take too long to fill any tankers.
If TasWater is to install water supply and treatment plant it requires 80 per cent of the town to agree to the process.
The people are being told that the costs for connection and usage will be prohibitive for most people.
The townsfolk are distressed and frustrated. They have been asking for a remedy since 2013.
Who is going to take responsibility and get on with helping a town to stay alive without the threat of ridiculous costs for water?
Wendy McLennan, Bridport.
Terrible comments
OC Robert Richter's comments suggesting Cardinal George Pell's offences were nothing more than "Vanilla Coated..." is so abhorrent ast to defy belief.