IN RESPONSE to 'Tenants' Union: 'Airbnbs take up Launceston's long-term rental supply' (The Examiner, April 5): Short term stays are just a scapegoat in this context. Among other things, the basic fact that the high cost of buying an established home or building a new one is driving unprecedented demand for rentals is ignored by the tenants union. It's simply not good enough for the Tenants Union to be taking a key-hole view here. Even in the short term accommodation sector there are many different types of properties and reasons for renting to the tourism market, and it's only a small segment that impacts on the long-term rental situation. For example: some owners rent their place out for short term stints to cover some of their mortgage cost whilst staying with relatives or in a caravan for the period of holiday rental. The Tenant's Union is poking at a complex problem with a very simplistic stick here, and broadly penalising all short stay property owners doesn't cut it as a solution.
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Alfred Hornung, Launceston
Ban middle class welfare
IN RESPONSE to 'Tenants' Union: 'Airbnbs take up Launceston's long-term rental supply'' (The Examiner, April 5): New build is one thing. But remove all tax deductions, rebates, expense offsets applying to pre existing dwellings used as non primary residence. Why should multiple owners of the same old building get the same middle class welfare over and over without adding anything to the housing stock.
Glenn Bryan, Launceston
MMG tailings dam decision continues to stall due to science
Senator Duniam said in (The Advocate, April 9), that science should win out over "scaremongering green tactics" by the Bob Brown Foundation when it comes to making a decision about the proposed new MMG tailings dam. However it is science that has halted works on the site in the first place, and environmentalists are confident that science demonstrates exceptional values of the area and will ensure its permanent protection.
The Bob Brown Foundation argues that the environmental values at South Marionoak are too important to let the MMG projects proceed, and there are a great number of concerned citizens who are ready to take an immediate stand if the green light is given to this disastrous project by Tanya Plibersek.
Dr Colette Harmsen, Tinderbox Road
Spot on about venison
THE article in The Examiner (April 10) about deer culling, is spot on about venison as a meat being too good to just leave on the ground to rot.
It's so much cheaper and better than ordinary red meat with little to no fat and is heart smart to go with it.
New Zealand has been eating venison for years as well as farming deer and exporting venison.
If the shooters took 4855 rounds to kill 71 deer, they must need their eyesight checked and quick.
David Parker, Summerhill
High frequency sound generators
IF, as Jo Ford (The Examiner, April 10), and very few others claim that high frequency sound generators fitted to cars scare off wild native animals like roos and deer from up to a mile away, then why have animal welfare groups, not only in Tasmania, but also worldwide, ignored their claims of lifesaving ability and not campaigned long and loud to have them installed on every car, truck or motorbike on the road?
The internet has a great variety available from $5 up, but to find any recognised scientific research supporting these claims is difficult.
If you don't hit anything - they work.
If you do collide with fauna then they don't - and a dead roo can't say whether taken by surprise or by choosing to ignore the high pitched whine outside human hearing range generated by wind flow through plastic sound generators mounted up front in the slipstream.
None claim to work on potoroos, wallabies, echidnas, wombats, possums or birdlife.
Noel Christensen, Punchbowl
Significant salmon farm reform
MY PERCEPTION on the state election may be off the mark, but I take two things out of it.
With five Greens and Craig Garland elected I see a strong vote for major Salmon farm reform and with a cross bench of 11 elected, I feel it reflects on how society in general is so divided.
Both major parties really have their work ahead of them as they attempt to rebuild the trust and confidence of the Tasmanian public, no small task.
Todd Lambert, Devon Hills
