Interest Rate decrease
JOSH Frydenberg and the Reserve Bank Governor seem miffed that all the banks are not passing on the full 25 points of interest.
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The RBA does not have absolute control of interest rates as we don't save enough as a nation to fund our borrowing, therefore some funds are borrowed offshore, including from the US where rates have just increased, thus increasing the cost of funds to our banks.
The lowering of interest rates will have a further influence on money the banks can lend.
Some depositors may just spend their money (a good thing for the economy) others may choose to invest elsewhere, for example, shares, bonds, gold or maybe just put it under the mattress to obtain more pension.
For retirees living off interest, they will have even less to spend.
Graeme Barwick, Riverside.
Gorge Hotel
IT'S a pity that neither the councillors or the press were in attendance at the meeting of representers protesting the Gorge Hotel development, at the Albert Hall on June 6.
Thus, the system inexorably rolls on.
Unless the councillors, now before it is too late, comprehensively inform themselves of the real details and not just those fed to them by the bureaucrats and the developer's consultants; then the reason why Launceston's Gorge is such a unique destination will soon become a thing of the past.
Ken Partridge, West Launceston.
Tasmanian Emissions
THE article by Caitlin Jarvis asserting that Tasmania is no longer Carbon Neutral is pretty misleading (The Examiner, June 8).
It jumps on one year's data as if it is of some overriding significance and does not mention any meaningful context.
The facts are that the state's emissions were up around 19 or 20 megatonnes pa from 2000 to 2008 and then started dropping rapidly over the next eight years to zero.
The data record is not smooth but typically jumped up and down by two or three megatonnes p.a. pre-2008.
There was a small drop in 2010-11 and a small increase in 2013-14 and some very large drops in other years.
In that context, a rise from zero to 0.9 megatonnes pa is hardly worth a mention except to manufacture a headline.
And one wonders why some of the media is not taken all that seriously.
Mike Seward, South Launceston.
Help on the Way
CONGRATULATIONS to Grammar for providing an opportunity for Tasmanian teachers of English to "delve deeper" into their classroom subject (The Examiner, June 8), and thus giving them a much deeper understanding of it, without which, of course, interesting and stimulating lessons are impossible. Now some readers would be wondering why this service is so special, reckoning that it is precisely the sort of subject learning which their university courses should have given them.
Next time you hear (of) teachers of English agreeing that its spelling is really crazy and even stupid, tell them that they need help and that there are orthography experts, such as Ms Anderson and Ms Whiting care of The Examiner of the LCGS, who can provide it.
Leonard Colquhoun, Invermay.
Aurora Energy emails
RECENTLY I applied online to Aurora Energy to set up a direct debit for electricity bills. Immediately I received an automatic reply acknowledging my application.
I then received a personal email from the company. Both emails contained all the personally identifying information that the direct debit request demanded.
Had Aurora included a photo of me, identity thieves could truly have rejoiced.
As it was, they only got my full name, date of birth, address, phone number, driver's licence number, email address, bank name, bank account holder names and Aurora account number. Under the Personal Information Protection Act 2004, Schedule 1, Data Security: "A personal information custodian must take reasonable steps to protect the personal information it holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure." Emails are in no way cyber-secure. I suspect the direct debit e-form also was insecure. Aurora remains a government-owned monopoly.
Comments, Minister Barnett?
Penelope Williams, Burnie.
AFP Journalism raids
SPEAKING of the AFP raid on journalists who dared cover a story about government cover-up, AFP Acting Commissioner Neil Gaughan gave this chilling warning - "No sector of the Australian community should be immune from this type of activity".
The raid was clearly intended to silence critics, so who is next, I wonder?
Michael Mansell, Launceston.
Bus Fare Rises
IN response to Mr de Wit of Riverside regarding North Riverside bus fares (The Examiner, June 7) fares will not rise as a consequence of any bus service changes following the current Launceston and Northern bus services review.
If bus services require a change of operator in an urban area, such as Riverside, the relevant Metro fares for the service will continue to apply. As part of the improvements being made to bus services across the state, we are also working on a single common ticketing system for all services, meaning all fares will be consistent, depending on the journey being taken. The review of bus services is to ensure they reflect the needs of local communities and provide better access to employment, education and other services.
Visit www.transport.tas.gov.au/haveyoursay