This flight drought is a direct result of mainland lockdowns, which have been necessary because of breakouts in hotel quarantine and the Morrison government's failure to secure vaccines.

The fact is, stood down Tasmanian workers are every bit as affected as employees in lockdown areas, but they have no access to the same support. For reasons I can't understand, and which haven't been explained, the Morrison government's modest aviation support package locks out workers who are not directly employed by airlines.

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This means every one of the more than 100 aviation workers across Tasmania who have been stood down receive nothing, because they are employed by labour hire firm Swissport, which contracts their services to the airlines. So if you steer or serve drinks on a plane and are stood down you receive $750 a week, but if you clean an airport, handle baggage, or process tickets and are stood down, you receive nothing.

It makes no sense. Every aviation worker who is stood down as a result of lockdowns should be eligible for aviation support. More than 20 Swissport workers have contacted me directly, pleading to make themselves heard. They are desperate, and some say they will be forced to leave jobs they love because they can't survive without income.

If workers do leave the industry to find other jobs, the loss of these experienced ground crew will be a real problem for when lockdowns end and flights resume. Swissport is worried. It tells me it takes 6 months to recruit, train and accredit airport ground crew. It has bluntly warned there will be grounded flights in Tasmania over our peak summer season if it has to replace lost workers.

Swissport isn't alone. Other aviation support companies are also asking the government to see reason.

Shannon Wells, who owns Par Avion in Tasmania, has seen his tourism charter business plummet and he isn't eligible for support either.

It is time for Scott Morrison to show some leadership, and extend aviation support to every aviation worker and business that needs it.

He can't say it costs too much when he's happy to hand $13 billion to those who didn't need it. This aviation support package fiasco is Mr Morrison's mess, more than 100 Tasmanian workers are suffering because of his failures, and he needs to fix it.

MOTORISTS who travel along the highway between Burnie and Hobart are aware that some drivers who drive along the two-lane highway sections at a speed of up to 100km/h, will increase their speed to 100 to 115km/h on a passing lane, only to revert to a maximum speed of 100km/h, when the passing lane ends.

If a vehicle is driven along two-lane sections at 100km/h or less, it does not make a great deal of difference whether the adopted passing lane speed is 105 or 110km/h.

This is because there are only a limited number of passing lanes and they generally extend for a relatively short distance.

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When slower vehicles limit their passing lane speed to 105km/h, it allows vehicles travelling at the 110km/h speed limit, to safely pass them.

Some drivers travelling along mainland four-lane highways choose to take off five to allow faster traffic to pass on by.

Please consider taking off five on Tasmanian highway passing lanes, and limit your speed to 105km/h.

WITH the recent release of the latest IPCC report, the need for immediate action to reduce greenhouse emissions is urgent.

The climate protection opportunities in Tasmanian forests 2020 update report prepared for The Wilderness Society by Treemod identifies a commercial pathway out of clear-felling Tasmanian native forests and thus reduce our emissions markedly.

The report states: based on a price of $15.94/tonne of CO2, the estimated net present value of Tasmania's future potential production forests, that STT recommenced harvesting last year and the permanent timber production zone forests is estimated to be $822-$939 million.

These amounts translate to an annualised net revenue of around $46-$52 million from 2022-2031 and then decrease to $20-$25 million from 2032-2050.

The value of soil carbon was not included in the report but one would assume there is a dollar value under the ground as well.

These funds could be used to assist Tasmania's loss-making STT to get serious about growing plantation sawlogs instead of wood chip logs.

Such a strategy would also open up numerous ecological/wild tourism and bio harvesting opportunities as well restoring some integrity to our Tasmanian brand.

OUT of $7.257 billion revenue raised from lands taken from Aboriginal people, only $269,000 is allocated directly to Aboriginal people.

One hundred and 16 million dollars is raised through land tax, the land that Aborigines have never been compensated for.

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We get none of that, $10.2 million is allocated for management of TWWHA because of its Aboriginal values, but not a red cent is set aside for Aboriginal management.

Ten million dollars to satisfy 4WD access on the West Coast but nothing for Aborigines to protect our culture.

There was no allocation in the budget for Aboriginal development, nothing set aside for a proposed treaty.

Really, Aborigines feel let down - again.