Old St Helens Hospital
I AM appalled to find the one-time St Helens hospital which closed in May still stands empty. Locals have no idea what the future of the building is. Meanwhile, the Launceston General Hospital is unable to cope with the number of patients due to nursing shortages, staff and hospital beds.
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This hospital could be used for after-care, also those recovering from surgery before being fit to return home. Maybe needing loving care for aged patients needing respite short term. Meanwhile, the building which served the town and district for more than 40 years stands as a white elephant.
The public deserves to know what the future is, sooner rather than later.
Locals remember receiving first-class treatment and a friendly, homely atmosphere. What a shame if it is left to decay or be vandalised before the powers that be make a decision - whoever they are.
G. Watson, St Helens.
Interest Rates Chatter
TALKING about interest rates, how come we only hear one side of the conversation?
Yes, reduced interest rates are great for people with house loans and business loans.
However, what about the poor old pensioners and people struggling to save for a house loan? Prime Minister Scott Morrison was very quick to berate banks for not passing on the full rate cut.
Does he, however, say the same about deeming rates to his government department, namely Centrelink, for not following interest rates?
Jobs and growth - say no more.
Robert Pearson, Newnham.
Nowhere to Relax
AS an employee of one of the bigger retailers I see every day what is lacking in the mall. There is nowhere for people to enjoy a relaxing moment to have a coffee and something to eat outdoors while shopping.
Atrocious parking fees that hinder anyone to spend more time shopping.
Somewhere for families who have children to have a facility to be able to change a nappy or just be able to use a toilet.
If you only realised that little things like this make or break a shopping experience.
What I see every day when I look out the window into the mall is a skateboard and bike park and a gathering of kids who have no intention of spending any money in our stores, just a place to hang out, smoke and use vulgar language.
Money spent on a new mall was to accommodate the wrong type of people.
Angela Holmes, Longford.
Trump Trouble
IT amazes me that a nation which produced presidents like Roosevelt and Obama could end up with a paranoid egomaniac who, to divert attention from his many shortcomings and the impeachment inquiry, is prepared to recklessly increase the instability of the entire Middle East, quite possibly reawaken the aspirations of a latent ISIS and create a monumental humanitarian crisis.
Richard Hill, Newstead.
Do they need protecting?
GIVEN our state's fisheries are a shared resource between the commercial and recreational fishing sector, I have written to the Minister Guy Barnett seeking answers as to why recreational fishers have had to endure a bag limit cut on King George whiting down to five fish per angler, per day, when the Tasmanian commercial sector has no bag or quota limit. Do King George whiting need protection as to its future sustainability in Tasmanian waters or not, and if so, why is there a double standard being applied?
Where is the science to support this? There has never been a documented case anywhere in the world wherein a fishery has collapsed due to recreational fishing. While I acknowledge and support our local commercial fishing sector and the value they hold in our economy, recreational fishing is worth just as much or arguably even more to our state both socially and economically. Our politicians seem to be oblivious to this and continue to undermine this Tasmanian pastime. I encourage both major parties to explore the possibility of purchasing remaining commercial net licences such as the two in the Tamar River to acknowledge that our worth is valued. Examples such as Georges Bay in St Helens underpin the positive impact decisions like this make to a fishery.
Todd Lambert, Devon Hills.
Victims of ISIS
AUSTRALIA must take full responsibility for the 20 women and 44 children who are languishing in the al-Hawl camp in Syria. It is undeniable that the women made poor decisions in becoming involved with the terror group ISIS.
In many cases, they followed their partners without understanding the full implications of what they had consented to. This is not the first time that family members have been inadvertently enmeshed in activities that have been universally condemned.
Some of Australia's politicians have come from families where a close member has been involved in a nefarious and degenerate group such as the Nazi Party.
Australia has a special responsibility to the 44 innocent children who are in no way responsible for their parent's poor decisions.
They have been through the hell of other people's making and have every right to a secure future. Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that "parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child's parents, legal guardians, or family members" (Article 7).