Social licence questions
ANTHONY Haneveer's opinion piece (The Examiner, December 5) questions if others have rights to say what happens on others' properties. Claiming they are blocking the perceived economic benefits of others' (mostly self-serving) projects.
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He questions social licence, suggesting it be quantifiable or meet a threshold. He misunderstood that social licence is unquantifiable and can be the unspoken.
The only way it can be quantified is to consider how many votes or how much profit can be lost or generated by social licence.
The elephant in the room is that the proposed location for the Northern Prison is public land. Does the government, rushing to rectify problems from their outdated justice system, have a social licence to destroy a publicly owned reserve, following unfathomable losses of wildlife and flora from recent bushfires? Is there a social licence to detain people in disgusting conditions, while touting the need to build a new prison to ease overcrowding?
A human rights approach would argue they should already be undertaking effective renovations to fix Risdon Prison.
A perfect opportunity to provide jobs.
We have every right to have a say over what happens where we have purchased property and commute to work and school.
Developers have a duty of care to ensure projects do not have irreversible impacts on fragile ecosystems or an already dangerous and neglected Birralee Road. The self-serving aren't speaking up to block developments that will cost us dearly, rather a genuine concern about what it will cost.
Torey Taylor, Birralee.
China's expanding influence
CHINA is intent on expanding its influence in the Pacific.
Part of that is to reduce our influence.
So what better way of doing that is there than corrupting our economy and blackening our reputation?
Being offended by our wish for the virus investigation and claims of product dumping are just smokescreens.
Sadly there is little out politicians can be expected to do about this except assist industry to find new markets. Australia is in for a rough ride in the coming years.
John Coulson, Dilston.
Family violence court fees
CONGRATULATIONS to The Examiner and community for campaigning to have this ridiculous fee waived. A person should not have to pay to escape violence.
The system should apply equally to all victims and there should not be a different standard for people in authority.
Michael House, Launceston.
Serious criminal behaviour
I'VE started noticing many of our public buildings, exposed walls and building signage has sprouted ugly graffiti tagging.
Many businesses and inner-city residents are becoming increasingly agitated by the sheer volume and their placement. At first, we were simply irritated by this ghetto art, but as more has appeared many are appalled at how these offenders/street gangs can be allowed to arrogantly clutter up and damage our public spaces.
Surely this must be illegal? With the borders now open, all business owners/operators are relying on every tourist dollar so therefore our city must look welcoming and be a clean, safe, family-friendly environment to shop, eat and drink in.
I love this community.
I love my neighbourhood, but I am fearful of how these graffitists seem to be getting a grip and taking control often at the expense of what is in the best interests of our city and its citizens. It appears they can blatantly promote their tagging at any corner they see fit and the city will turn a blind eye for months until someone like the business community says enough is enough. This activity is serious criminal behaviour so why isn't the City of Launceston council and police aggressively addressing this developing problem? Perhaps telling it here in this column, these offenders may be caught and made to clean up all the damage caused.
Bruce Webb, Launceston.
Disallowing carbon credits
SINCE there is a benefit to the climate in accelerating CO2 reductions it should be encouraged wherever possible. Applying quotas - crude, unfair and inexact as they are - requires the over-achievers to be rewarded or penalized in the same manner as the under-achievers.
It's worth remembering that a tonne of CO2 saved today has more value than a tonne saved at a future date - disallowing carbon credits will ultimately be a deterrent to reducing global temperatures.
Gordon Thurlow, Launceston.
Will Hodgman's appointment
I REFER to Kenneth Gregson (The Examiner, December 7) regarding the former Tasmanian Premier's appointment to the office of High Commissioner for Singapore.
Did Mr Gregson similarly complain of Kevin Rudd's appointment of Kim Beazley to the USA as Ambassador, or does he only believe that the Coalition is guilty of this fairly common practice by both major parties?
Hugh Perkins, South Launceston.
Chief executive bonuses
LISTENING to one federal politician's speech who was using parliamentary privilege, I was staggered to learn just how many businesses who claimed JobKeeper wages for their staff were able to pay their chief executive's outrageous bonuses at the same time. It seems that sharks don't always live in the sea, and have as large a greedy bite in the corporate world as well.