'Research completely misrepresented': Author hits back at Mansell

I am dismayed that he has taken very small and highly selective quotes out of context to support his claim that I had either deliberately ignored or underplayed the high levels of extreme violence experienced by Tasmanian Aboriginal women and girls at the hands of sealing men on the Bass Strait Islands.

It is pointless to compare the levels of extreme violence experienced by Tasmanian Aboriginal women and girls at the hands of sealers and settlers in Tasmania between 1800 and 1840. What I can say is that on mainland Tasmania and Flinders Island genocidal policies were put in place by the settlers to destroy the Tasmanian Aboriginal people and these policies succeeded.

In the sealing community, however, Tasmanian Aboriginal women and girls survived in sufficient numbers to enable the emergence of the modern Tasmanian Aboriginal community today.

Twenty years ago Keith Windschuttle used highly selective quotes from my 1995 book to claim that I deliberately overplayed the levels of settler violence towards the Tasmanian Aboriginal people in the Black War.

It is disappointing that Mr Mansell uses the same tactic to claim that I deliberately underplayed sealer violence. I expected better from the man whose career as a leader of the modern Tasmanian Aboriginal community I championed in both my books.

HAVING read Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein's press statement on Wednesday about not reopening the border until the vaccination rate reaches 90 per cent, I can see that his decision is not political but is based on scientific modelling by the Doherty Institute.

This modelling shows that opening earlier would put the safety and health of Tasmanians at risk as well as cause undue pressure on Tasmania's health care system. Mr Gutwein has done a first-class job keeping the virus out of the state. My father, who lives in Launceston, will be turning 100 next month.

As much as I would like to be with him to celebrate the day, I can see that the health and safety of all Tasmanians come first.

When it is safe to do so which will probably be in January next year, even though I am double vaccinated, I will be able to travel from Wagga Wagga in NSW to celebrate with my father.

TO stop confusion and to add honesty to the branding of products; all generic, supermarket house-brand products should have a reasonably bold statement on them stating that "this product is packed for whoever the supermarket name is". Customers would then know, no matter what the fancy label says, that it is another generic house brand product, and the decision to buy can be rationalised against all other brands.

This will also limit price gouging of one generic product against the next which has a more colourful label, but the same ingredients.

IT makes absolute sense to not have Festivale until the entire state has been vaccinated. One only needs to take note of that which has taken place on the mainland. It is also hoped that no infections have been caused by the latest football event held in a state which luckily, has been COVID-19 free.

A SAFER and more democratic approach to addressing vaccine hesitancy, and therefore increasing voluntary vaccine uptake, lies in better education, addressing specific and legitimate concerns that people may hold, and promoting genuine informed consent.

It does not lie in censoring differing opinions or removing rights and civil liberties that are fundamental in a democratic nation.

It certainly does not lie in the use of highly coercive, undemocratic and unethical mandates such as no jab, - no job.