UTAS relocation
I AGREE with Estelle Ross (The Examiner, March 17) that moving the university even without the coronavirus wasn't a good plan.
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UTAS has been going downhill for a number of years, throwing millions of dollars at it wasn't going to fix declining student numbers.
In the same newspaper Rufus Black said the university anticipates that all teaching will be fully online by March 20, but then goes onto say 121 subjects will not transition for some weeks, have I missed something?
When UTAS finally transitions all courses we will no longer need a new campus, or even the old Newnham campus, a win-win situation in many ways.
Less traffic problems at Inveresk, less sewerage and stormwater hiccups, Mowbray real estate could drop to acceptable levels.
A huge plus would be the saving of up to $300 million. Wow, I'd like to see that.
Ron Baines, Kings Meadows.
Assisted Dying Choice
SOME people have unfounded fears about voluntary assisted dying laws, such as the one being proposed in Tasmania by Mike Gaffney, because of a lack of understanding and factual information about the laws.
Pat Gartlan's letter (The Examiner, March 18) shows a major misunderstanding about the role of doctors and the professional, ethical and legal response to VAD that we have every reason to expect of Tasmanian doctors.
VAD is solely at the initiation and repeated requests of the person, not their doctor.
Mrs Gartlan can be assured that every recent thorough review and inquiry about VAD laws in multiple places has failed to find evidence of feared risks and abuses such as people being coerced or manipulated into VAD.
She can be very confident that her choice will be respected if she does not want VAD, as it will be for those who make a different choice and meet the eligibility requirements.
Margaret Sing, West Hobart.
Vital Requirements
ABOUT the only good thing that might emerge from the coronavirus is a better understanding of the danger of flirting with vulnerability of our vital requirements. These include water, food and energy.
Already big cracks are appearing with gas shortages and ensuring 24/7 electricity supply which is increasingly relying too much on intermittent sources.
There is no excuse not to seal these cracks immediately.
Gordon Thurlow, Launceston.
An important cause
A BIG congratulations to Diabetes Tasmania on another successful Tasmanian Pollie Pedal.
The three-day bike ride with 22 cyclists travelled from Wynyard to Sheffield to Deloraine to Longford and raised awareness and just over $49,000 to support people with diabetes in Tasmania.
Since Diabetes Tasmania and I established the charity ride in 2006 we have raised over $700,000.
As a person living with type 1 diabetes, I am delighted that this year's Pollie Pedal exceeded expectations and I thank all those who sponsored or donated so generously.
Donations can still be made by calling Diabetes Tasmania at 6215 9000.
Guy Barnett MP, Hobart.
Underpaid Workers
I REFER to Steve Rogers' letter (The Examiner, March 10) in relation to workers under-paid wages, better known this day as wage theft.
Mr Rogers says that the ANU and HACSU aren't doing their jobs by protecting workers' rights in relation to wage theft, and should take responsibility.
Now come on Steve, be fair. I know that you are desperate for a counter punch after this bruising, battering that you are taking with the sports rort $100 million scandal. But it's a bit rich to go union bashing all the time, when these companies have very highly paid executives, with an arm full of diplomas at the ready, to correctly interpret these awards in the beginning.
I hardly think that your analysis "it cuts both ways" is a worthy description when unions will only become involved in wages theft at the behest of the workers themselves, with whom they mutually represent.
It is a well known fact, of course, that during the term of coalition government's there is no compatibility with unions whatsoever, as in any democracy.
Allan L. Carey, Riverside.
Collective Selfishness
WHAT a difference a crisis makes. We go from patting ourselves on our collective backs during and after the bushfires, and now, it's the every man for himself situation.
It is exposing the collective dark underbelly of greed in this country.
Peter Taylor, Midway Point.
An honest response
THE federal government's assistance package is another opportunity botched. It would have been more simple and more honest to have boosted Newstart to the level of the age pension, and eliminated discrimination against the unemployed.
A more appropriate response would be to abolish fortnightly income forms and claw-backs, and abolish waiting times for receipt of benefits. Job losses are inevitable. In the light of past emergencies, the present one, and the ones to come, it's time to introduce a basic living allowance, available to all, with no categories, and therefore a minimalist bureaucracy.
No matter how reasonable this would be, political ideology will prevent it, because ideology is inherently irrational.
Peter Needham, Bothwell.