To me, it will be as visually incongruous as the tall imposition of Myer/Telstra buildings.

Are we missing the basic point here that this unacceptable height and architecturally gauche and gaudy planned building in such a unique city as Launceston will only add to the visual destruction of our historic architecture? All visitors come to admire our historical heritage. The inappropriate architecture will contribute to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. Consider the empty technical collage on Paterson Street, this would not only repurpose a derelict building but make the perfect hotel.

IN OTHER NEWS:

This stunningly beautiful old building has the perfect bones for a hotel redevelopment.

With it's enclosed car parking and potential to build upwards this would no doubt become a breathtakingly popular hotel that's controversial for positive reasons.

This new Gorge Hotel looks hideous, surely Launceston architects can design something that suits the architecture of our beautiful city.

TO suggest that handing back less than 1 per cent of the Tasmanian landmass to Aboriginal control is too generous an amount to compensate for the historical atrocities committed against Aboriginal people shows a grave misunderstanding of history at best and an utter lack of humanity at worst.

Less than 220 years ago Aborigines owned the entirety of the Tasmanian landmass, now, as John Coulson unabashedly points out, we own less than one per cent.

READ MORE: Explainer | How would aboriginal land handbacks work

John Coulson is incorrect when he asserts that TALC holds the titles to Aboriginal land.

It is the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania that holds the title to Aboriginal lands. The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania came into existence under the Aboriginal Lands Act, which was passed in November 1995 with the full support of the Tasmanian Parliament.

It is also a mistruth that Aborigines enjoy the right to exclusive possession over our lands. Aboriginal land when it is returned always comes with conditions.

Despite the blatant mistruths and fear-mongering about the loss of access espoused by people like John Coulson, it was incredibly heartening to hear the Premier of Tasmania indicate his commitment to taking significant steps towards reconciliation by considering proposals for future land return.

ONE of the most significant large scale public developments seen in Tasmania for decades, the Northern Regional Prison, appears to have been left out of the Premier's State of the State address. This is a surprise because as residents all we hear about the project is how many jobs it will create and it would have slotted perfectly into the jobs, jobs, jobs theme of the address.

RELATED: Premier unloads announcements in unusual State of the State address

Too damaging to mention perhaps?

The importance of reducing carbon and dealing with plastic waste got a mention, but nothing about preserving the environment.

Tourists care about Tasmania's unique and vulnerable flora and fauna too.

There was no pledge to protect and promote our natural environment because this would be incongruent with their plans to destroy the Westbury Reserve for development too unpopular to mention.

DRIVING to work while watching a beautiful sunrise, I got to hear about elderly people being advised to call specific numbers if they are being abused, so I paid attention with mounting horror indeed.

What on earth is going on in this world that our aged family/mentors are being victimised by anyone at all?

I got to hear about sites called "1800ELDERHELP, Elder Abuse Helpline, Old Persons Advocacy Network and the list grew.

I read the news and articles about this but was not aware that it has become a calamity that we all need to address immediately.

What is happening that our wonderful aged population is being physically, sexually, emotionally, financially, materialistically abused, abandoned and neglected?

These people taught us most if not all that we know and grew to love.

We shared their food, often slept in their beds and sought them when sad or angry.

They taught us how to eat with spoons and laugh at ourselves and now they are needing protection from the very people they loved and raised.

Please protect this travesty from becoming the norm.

I am mortified indeed.

IT IS rather sad to view art today because it is usually copied from photographs not from 3D. Such works can be identified by the colourless shadows and washed out lights.

READ MORE: Tasmanian takes home coveted 2021 Glover prize

The cause of this is the aperture of the camera does not open wider for the shadows nor reduce for the lights. There is also a lack of 3D qualities because of the copiest's inability to translate from 3D.and conceive the sculptural qualities. The Glover, the Archibald and countless other art prizes and exhibitions are littered with illustrative photographic fake art merely banausic copies devoid of a genuine response to nature.

AS a full-time oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Tasmania for 40 years, and past head of the Oral and Maxillofacial Unit of the Royal Hobart Hospital I regularly have Tasmanian smokers with the signs of oral cancer referred to me by medical and dental practitioners. It has been distressing to know that when diagnosed with cigarette smoking-related oral cancer only 50 per cent are likely to survive another five years. If only they hadn't started smoking. The T21 Bill will reduce the uptake of smoking by young Tasmanians. Our political representatives must pass the Bill into legislation.