After announcing his new cabinet, the Premier made an unbelievable and bizarre statement when he said about Ferguson: "he has done an exceptional job", so why did he get the flick?

I never thought I would see the day when I would agree with a Green, especially a Green politician, but Cassy O'Connor was right when she said Sarah Courtney was a consistent underperformer, and since becoming Health Minister Ms Courtney has put that statement beyond any doubt.

If there was a prize for MVM (most valuable minister) it would gather a lot of dust sitting on a shelf because it certainly couldn't be given to anyone in the Liberal government.

Mick Leppard, Invermay.

IT IS interesting that the AFL and NRL are not for profit organisations, and pay no tax on media rights, alcohol and gambling income, for example, but expect the Australian public to expend large amounts of capital on new or upgraded stadiums.

The corporate tax exemption is based on an 82-year-old provision that was designed to allow volunteer and community based organisations to pay no tax in exchange for providing local facilities and encouraging sports participation.

In Tasmania, the ludicrous situation of Tasmanians subsidising multi-million dollar club Hawthorn, and "struggle street" club North Melbourne, at the behest and convenience of the AFL may find the fickle winds of public opinion eventually jettison this "corporate junket" into the inevitable maelstrom of oblivion.

It seems the AFL/NRL are not subject to any form of accountability, whereas large charities are subjected to public audited accounts. It may be time for the AFL/NRL to subject their organisations to public yearly audits, and a major investigation into its culture and corporate/charitable governance, as the banks were in the 2018 Banking Royal Commission.

Kenneth Gregson, Swansea.

I CAN'T descend or climb stairs without the use of a handrail, are there others out there who need the support of a handrail?

Assuming there are, read on.

Use of handrails slows your descent. It's true, falling down stairs is often faster but much more painful. You might also see people holding their cell phones, or other devices, in their hands, rather than the handrail. A few tips to feel safe on stairways. Use handrails. Put your mobile device away. Take one step at a time. Slow down. Keep one hand free to use the handrail. Do not underestimate the risk of using stairs. Focus on the stairs not conversations or any other distractions. Building stairways without handrails creates a dangerous situation.

Hugh Boyd, Prospect Vale.

Endangered trees

TFGA chief executive officer Peter Skillern's diatribe about the federal government's listing of Eucalyptus ovata and Eucalyptus brookeriana forest and woodland as critically endangered demands a response (The Examiner, July 11).

Mr Skillern says the listing "is a tale of mistruths, half-truths and overall lack of transparency by the government" and complains about "their failure to engage with Tasmanian farmers prior to applying further imposts". He doesn't tell us what mistruths and half truths he is concerned about but the listing was made by the Minister (and not rejected by the Parliament) based on advice from an independent committee of scientists (not bureaucrats), who are constrained by strict listing criteria set down in legislation. As for the claim of "failure to engage with Tasmanian farmers", the draft listing was open for submissions from November 16, 2016 to January 27, 2017. I would say farmers received special consideration.

Peter McGlone, Director, Tasmanian Conservation Trust.

ZANE Robnik seems a bit gormless to me in calling for the declaration of a "climate emergency" apparently on the basis of "an article on SBS".

To be brutally frank, the sheer volume of climate alarmist twaddle spouted by the media in general has only served to seriously degrade my reliance on anything they say on the subject.

There was a great media hoo-ha many years ago now about the dossier of evidence that Iraq had a secret stash of weapons of mass destruction had been sexed up to justify the subsequent invasion in 2003.

It seems to me the media are on the sexed-up side this time and some people just don't see it for what it is. It's not so much about "the science" as about the credit of the witness.

Mike Seward, South Launceston.

THERE are three essential requirements for electricity - it must be available when we want it, it must be as cheap as possible and the resultant carbon emissions must be as low as possible.

Australia has been held back for too long by two ridiculous notions. One is intermittent wind and solar (together with batteries) can go anywhere near to providing the bulk of our power and the other is nuclear power shouldn't be part of the mix.

Reject these notions and there might be light at the end of the tunnel.

Gordon Thurlow , Launceston.