I cannot see the problem of the site for the anticipated Northern Prison at Westbury. The positives for the people of Westbury and the Meander Valley Council will clearly outweigh the negatives. Firstly think of the people it will employ during the construction stage and the ongoing benefits for businesses in the area during and after completion. People that are to be employed at the prison may look to relocate to the area and may wish to purchase a home or at least rent a property. There will be a huge turnover of visitors to the prison to visit inmates.

Those people may purchase food or other items in the area. In addition to the above a lot of provisions will be required by the prison for their daily use, plus maintenance and repairs which no doubt could provide huge benefits to the trade sector and tradies who will provide the various services, over the years to come. I am a ratepayer and live in the municipality and believe the people of Northern Tasmania should get fully behind this proposed venture which will give the area a huge boost to the Northern area.

WHAT a great loss Will Hodgman, Premier of Tasmania - he will be sadly missed.

His genuine approach to politics made him trustworthy and admired on both sides of the house and his ethics proven beyond approach. His pleasant in-control demeanor endeared him to the electorate and the Liberal Party has flourished under his leadership. With strong leadership and direction Will Hodgman led Tasmania out of a humongous debt to a comfortable surplus.

After donating a large portion of his working life to serve others, he has succumbed to the need to at last put his family first.

And in his inimitable style bowed out with grace and dignity. Harmony can't always be guaranteed but you as Premier gave it your best shot. You have without doubt served Tasmania well and earned a huge amount of gratitude for a job well done. Thank you.

IF the government and TT-Line were smart, they would withdraw the proposal for the new ships, and rethink the whole concept of RO-RO ferries.

Given the continual instability in the Middle-East and Tasmania's extreme vulnerability to a break in the fuel supply chain, vehicular ferries will soon be redundant.

If no fuel was available here, there would be no need for vehicle decks.

It makes more sense to look at older designs, with low profile, less deadweight (and therefore less fuel consumption), and auxiliary sails. This would be coupled with a new ferry/train terminal on the city side of the Mersey, and the reintroduction of passenger rail services.

We should also be building up our fuel reserve, and the quickest way to do that is to stop wasting it on motorsports and commuter congestion.