BILOLEA FAMILY ORDEAL
IT IS a bit rich for senator Eric Abetz to come out and defend the cruel treatment of the Bilolea family, by his government (The Examiner, June 15).
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The Liberals have managed to get elected in the past by lying (children overboard) and treating refugees as illegals.
Many years ago it was a Liberal government under Malcolm Fraser that welcomed people fleeing Vietnam after the war.
Now we have an immigrant, who is one of the government members who make the laws, telling us that we cannot show compassion and empathy because the law says so.
Who made these laws? They were certainly not Christians.
If they were to follow in Jesus footsteps, the government would welcome people who are fleeing oppression.
A lot of the time people on boats trying to get here are fleeing war zones that we helped make unlivable. It is time to vote for people in government who have hearts.
End the run of voting for the cruellest pollies. Come on Australia, show who we really are.
Peter Godfrey, Nunamara.
PETITION TO COUNCIL
WELL done Westbury Region Against the Prison in presenting a petition for a public meeting to council regarding the proposed maximum security prison (The Examiner, June 12).
READ MORE: Children at home when woman stabbed to death
It is a pity that Meander Valley Council has had to be nudged by WRAP into proper consultation with its community about such an important and controversial project, announced almost two years ago.
H. Donaldson, Westbury.
STATE PARLIAMENTARY REFORM
PARLIAMENTARY reform is unquestioningly overdue in Tasmania, as Anthony Haneveer suggests (The Examiner, May 15) but ditching the Legislative Council should not be considered a sensible or democratic option or approach.
Leaving aside the issue of local councils, it should be remembered the reason House of Assembly numbers were reduced from 35 to 25 was a cynical attempt by Liberals and Labor to rid the parliament of the Greens.
It was a deliberate tactic by Liberal and Labor to ensure their cosy duopoly was reinstated.
It failed, and Tasmanians have been the losers ever since. So have our MHAs.
There are now far too few of them, on either side of politics, to properly and efficiently juggle the multiple ministerial portfolios they are required to manage.
It also resulted in too many ministers having to be selected from the ranks of the supposedly independent Legislative Council.
To have MHRs who are members of a political party, and possibly also ministers in the government of the day, makes a mockery of the democratic process.
The perception, rightly or wrongly, will be that these individuals will simply vote according to party lines, and legislation will not be reviewed or debated with the rigour and independence it, and Tasmanians deserve.
So while parliamentary reform is certainly needed, it should begin with restoring the House of Assembly to 35 and ensuring the Legislative Council reverts to being truly an independent House of Review.