I find Dr Toby Gardener's comments about this topic somewhat disingenuous; there was no mention that at Newstead Urgent Care, it costs $150 to be seen, the fee to be paid on the day, and no Medicare rebate is available.

I don't know many who can afford that amount of money. It's a service for the wealthy. Perhaps this is why he isn't in favour of competition from a bulk-billed service?

In regards to staff, there are thousands of doctors and nurses who have had excellent training in the UK, US and other countries who are ready and available to work.

They already have experience and qualifications, they shouldn't need to repeat Australian qualifications. They need the government to speed up the immigration process to allow them to work, then we would have the staff we so desperately need.

I READ an article regarding e-scooters and the police monitoring them (The Examiner, April 13). Sitting at the lights on the corner of Margaret and Brisbane streets last week, this scooter raced past with not one, but three people on it. The one at the back, holding the handlebars and steering looked all of 12 years old. Standing in front of her was a younger boy, and then sitting on the platform of the scooter was another child.

Unbelievable, not an adult in sight. Does one wonder what would have happened if those kids had moved, or lost control?

Another question, did the parents know?

LAUNCESTON statistically has an aged population. As one so afflicted, I welcome the seats scattered about our city's streets.

However, there are so many gaps in the provision of these and I urge councillors to further address this problem. While the CBD is generally well provided for, there are many locations further out where seating would be appreciated. Even with the best will in the world, I eagerly look for seats every hundred metres or so.

IT IS ludicrous that with daily positive returns for the COVID 19 fluctuating around the 2000 mark the state government has not reinstated mask mandate requirements.

Have they fallen asleep at the wheel, or are they waiting for the whole population to become infected before they finally act?

Epidemiologists tell us the best defence against the virus is mask wearing, so why isn't the state government insisting this returns; even if only implemented temporarily until such times as daily positive returns significantly drop to a steady acceptable level? Strong leadership is essential and sadly lacking in this case; wake up before it is too late.

I'M writing to express my deep appreciation to Tasmanians who supported The Smith Family's 2022 Back to School Appeal.

Our vision is to help young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves. We launched our appeal calling for extra support to help students re-engage with their education, after another tough year due to COVID-19. For families and their children, this year's return to school may have been the toughest yet.

Not only are we concerned that the pandemic has exacerbated the gap in learning outcomes between children living in poverty and their more advantaged peers, we're also worried families are facing more hardships, including rising living costs, a housing affordability crisis, and ongoing impacts of the digital divide. When any family faces ongoing financial difficulties, it makes it harder for them to support their children's education.

We know there are still thousands of young Australians who don't have access to the education essentials they need to learn, and we're concerned it'll be those who can least afford it, who'll continue to struggle.

Our Learning for Life education program provides emotional, practical and financial support to children and young people.

And thanks to the wonderfully generous response to our sponsorship appeal, we'll be able to provide around 3,000 more students with evidence-based and life-changing support for the duration of their education.

To learn more about Learning for Life, and how you can be part of a growing community of sponsors tackling the effects of poverty on the education of young Australians, visit thesmithfamily.com.au. For 100 years, The Smith Family has been working to improve the lives of children in need.