Government enthusiasm for the destruction of native forests is sickening

No other state in Australia clear-fells old-growth forest yet our Premier has added insult to injury by announcing that the Tasmanian Liberals, if elected, will open up 40,000 hectares of protected native forest to logging.

In The Examiner article by Rodney Woods (March 1), Resources Minister Felix Ellis said "I think people now realise that forestry is one of the most sustainable industries there is." How can he call the industry sustainable when the government is planning to open up more old growth forests for clear felling?

Premier Rockliff in the same article says "What I'm about is supporting hard working Tasmanians who put food on their tables for their families." I think if I hear this statement one more time I'll vomit. Politicians use it continuously to justify poor practice and industrial wrong doings. I for one would much rather hear visionary policies and plans for Tasmania and not words and bribes to entice the voter.

Added to this, the Victorian mills are offering above market prices for Tasmanian logs and thus putting stress on local family owned mills here. With up to 40 truck loads of logs a week crossing Bass Strait into Victoria there could easily be an increase in unsustainable logging and a further shutting down of our local Tasmanian mills. Not a good state to be in.

Michael McWilliams, Western Junction

WHILE driving between the Bass and Lyons electorate daily to commute to work, it has been interesting to observe the clear divide between the properties with Liberal corflutes and the properties with corflutes from other candidates.

Almost every single Liberal supporting corflute can be seen either on big businesses, ostentatious houses, or large properties of the landed-up gentry. In other words, those who would happily support serfdom, if it ever came back into vogue.

By comparison, almost all of the corflutes supporting anyone else (Labor, Jacqui Lambie, et al) are on more modest properties and houses. In other words, the average everyday battler.

This observation also makes me wonder why the everyday people would support the Liberals come election time, especially if they are not among the same group of "elites" that are promoting the Liberals by hanging their corflutes in this election.

Martin Hamilton, Campbell Town

IT'S time for Tasmania's incoming elected Premier and team to demand a reset of spending priorities.

It is time for a serious rethink of our priorities and income distribution.

Homelessness on one page of the newspaper, and doctor and nurse shortages on the next - and then the story of a company executive leaving because they could earn more than their $5 million elsewhere. Then another story on CEO salaries being more than 200 times the wage of the average worker.

We can do better than this. Either the new state government seriously advocates for change to our progressive tax structure or everyone should be prepared to pay higher taxes. For a wealthy country like Australia, I am ashamed, very ashamed!

Bruce Webb, Trevallyn

40 per cent pay rise was accepted by our parliamentarians when the government decided to cut members from 35 to 25.

The reason for the 40 per cent pay rise was because there would be extra work for the 25 parliamentarians.

Tasmanians will have 35 members after the election. A 40 per cent pay cut is now due, or will they take another pay rise?

D. Porter, Prospect

HAVING recently spent five weeks in the LGH, lying there with not a lot to do, it beggars belief that patients have to pay to watch free to air TV. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Liberal party will pick up the tab, here's hoping the Labor Party matches it.

Trevor Stewart, Newnham

IT'S good that Virgin Airlines are allowing pets to fly on their aircraft. Presumably they will be given boarding passes and seat allocations. With the cost of airfares for humans at an all-time high, perhaps animals may attract a lower rate. This may leave my wife with the option of classifying me as a pet to attract a more favourable fare.

Ed Sianski, West Moonah