Thousands of tonnes of biomass will be removed from our waters by the foreign-owned Sealord vessels for little reward for the Tasmanian economy.

The industry has a proven record of pushing numerous species down to very low numbers, orange roughy and the blue warehou are examples, not to mention the vast amounts of by-catch and deaths to seals, threatened albatross and dolphins.

Yet politicians like Senator Jonathon Duniam are happy to put on a yellow vest, smile for the camera and pretend the industry is spotless, then resort to cheap personal attacks on somebody who dares to state the truth. On the other hand, the government continually presses recreational fishers with surveys, tighter bag limits and regulations. Recreational fishers have never been responsible for such depletion. It's a typical deflection tactic used by politicians to distract from a dubious industry, purely political spin.

As a recreational fisherman, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I stand behind Craig Garland's concerns and it's high time we have a good hard look at the future of allowing these ocean depleting vessels into our commonwealth waters, it's time for recreational fishers to stand up together.

THE government is helping the unemployed with extra payments on top of the so-called dole payments and if you have a job you are receiving at least $750 a week, but the poor old pensioners received two payments of $750. When the panic buying occurred there weren't too many pensioners in the lines at the supermarket trying to buy the items in demand because most mature people are just surviving on what they receive from the government.

The only thing they can cut back on is food as all the other items that they have to pay out is considered essential such as rent or home loan repayments, petrol and electricity bills. You might be lucky if you or your partner has a part-time job to bring in extra income but this affects the amount you receive from our compassionate government. No one knows how long this virus is going to affect our country or how long the extra payments will be in effect, but the thing to remember is that someone has to repay all the extra dollars that are being handed out and usually its Australians with more taxes and excises made up by our government to inflict on the common people.

FURTHER to the Tamar Estuary, the Tailrace Park is a good example of a clean green place that is utilised by the community via several well-designed pathways, playgrounds and well-maintained grass areas in contrast to the surrounding areas.

With the two councils concerned, government co-operation and adequate finance Tailrace Park could be extended further south to Kings Bridge and out to West Tamar Road and turned into a well planned constructed wetland, where all stormwater from Riverside and Trevallyn could be collected, slow down, filter and cleaned naturally by appropriate planted vegetation before it finally flows into the Tamar Estuary via a controlled outlet.

NOBODY likes pain, people fear pain.

Doctors already have all the medications available to human beings for end of life care. If you have a painful terminal illness, there should be analgesics prescribed by your doctor to alleviate the pain.

You are dying, so there are no concerns about addiction. A big injection of funds might be needed to improve palliative care, especially in the home.

This care is where the intention is to relieve pain until the last breath is taken. Not as in VAD where lethal dose ends life in suicide.

I was disappointed that there was no opportunity for input or discussion at the VAD meeting in Launceston.

There is every chance that the guidelines set down for VAD can be abused in the future, as has happened in other countries.

Why should a family keep paying for expensive care for say a dementia sufferer, if you could end their life early? Happy to leave my use-by date to god, he knows best.

HAVING watched loved ones suffer terribly before death came, please get this Mike Gaffney legislation passed.

I WORK in the healthcare industry and it's not nice having to witness a patient or their family watching them slowly die or suffering.

We don't do it to animals so why allow it on humans.

If they are terminally ill give them the choice to die with respect and dignity.

I HAVE had 19 family members all pass away over the last 40 years to various types of cancers, as well as watch other friends go through it too.

To sit by their beds at the very end when they are delirious from pain and the meds the hospital gives for palliative care is gut-wrenching and not an image that ever leaves the mind.

I would never wish a painful, slow death upon anyone. It is cruel and unnecessary.

While a person is still of their sound mind and able to say they want to be rid of their pain and suffering they should be taken seriously and have this law passed so they do not have to go to another state, away from home and family to die.

It would be more peace of mind to the sufferer to remain where everything is familiar.