This group provides sport, recreational and social activities for Tasmanians with a disability. Funding has been cut to this great group by the federal government and they are trying to run it on donations and some grants. Their future is in jeopardy.

Last weekend they held a fundraising bike ride called the Western Tiers cycle challenge to raise money. So far they have raised more than $5500. Now comes my gripe. On the same page, there was a report on a fundraiser for the Bob Brown Foundation to raise funds to support their protest actions. It has raised a whopping $165,000. All this to help protesters stop people from working.

Somewhere, sometime along the way, we have certainly got our priorities wrong.

PREMIER, rents have been too high since 2017. Rents are way out of control and have climbed and people are hurting.

Relying on your handling of the pandemic will not be enough? Social issues need addressing and saying rents are not high. Get real. More homelessness will occur if this important issue is not addressed.

We shall remember the homeless and renters' plight when voting. Very sad because I hear how people are hurting.

WHAT an extraordinary couple of weeks we have had, almost every news medium has reported violence against women, the perpetrator in almost every case was a man. Women to an extent are still considered to be the underdog in Australia; as they are in most other countries. Historically women have been accepted by society, as the nurturers and men the carer/providers. Feminist movements have opened the door to question these social norms.

Women are now better educated and universities have encouraged them to question their place in society, which has caused a major shift in women's expectations of how men and society should behave towards them. Women seek equality in every aspect of life and some men have demonstrated a very strong resistance, which in some cases results in violence.

As a woman I feel qualified to say, that women themselves can take some responsibility for bullying of other women too which happens in almost every workplace.

"I HAVE had to live with things on my watch that I'm not happy with and have been outcast whenever I've said what I really think," she said. Well, I wonder which person in representative politics has not had to live through such moments? As for feeling like an "outcast", well, I wonder why?

Ms Hickey cast herself out not for just standing for speaker but how she did it and who she worked with to achieve it.

As for speaking one's mind, well done, I suppose, coming to the house as a known, strong leader with a mind of her own. Pre-selected on that basis but taking the action she did completely degraded that standing down to that of just another self-important, ambitious wannabe who just wanted her way and now.

The Institute of Foresters of Australia was recently referred to as a powerful lobby group that is heavily funded by the industry and have the resources to sustain a continued attack (Dr Jennifer Sanger, The Examiner, March 25).

This is not the case.

We are neither an industry lobby group nor well-funded.

Nor do we wish to attack those with different views.

The IFA and Australian Forest Growers is an independent professional association for forest scientists, managers and growers.

We are a not-for-profit professional association that is supported by an office of three part-time staff, including myself.

We work to promote credible science-based discourse and respectful discussion around forest issues.

Like many other professional associations, such as Engineers Australia and the Australian Medical Association, our primary source of income is from annual membership fees.

Our members operate across all aspects of forest and land management throughout Australia.

We do have members who work in forest harvesting operations, however many of our members are also academics; researchers; scientists working in government agencies; conservation; forest fire management; private forest companies and urban forest management.

Our members also include forest consultants and private landowners.

As scientists, we do advocate.

We advocate for good science, good solutions, and good outcomes for our forests.

Our positions on forest management are informed by forest science.

We advocate for active and adaptive land management across all land tenures (National Parks, state forests and private forests).

We believe that Australia's forests, if managed well, can support all forest values including biodiversity, conservation, water, carbon, and social and commercial interests.

We also believe that the future of forest management should include two-way capacity building with Traditional Owners.

As IFA/AFG chief executive, I am proud of our independence and even more proud of our members who are passionate about forests and want to ensure the health of our forests for generations to come.