Action on extinction threat will determine political legacy

Listed as endangered by both the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act (1995) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999), the population of the skate has been decimated by about 50 per cent since salmon farming has been allowed in Macquarie Harbour.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Opposition Leader Dean Winter should be ashamed of themselves and the parties they lead for allowing this situation to develop.

If they do not act soon, they will be responsible for causing the first modern-day marine fish extinction.

What a great legacy to leave their grandchildren, reminiscent of a previous Tasmanian government responsible for causing the extinction of the Thylacine by legislating a bounty on its head.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society state that in Macquarie Harbour the water quality has crashed primarily from oxygen depleting effects of intensive salmon farming and manipulated river flows to maintain hydroelectricity production.

The solution is simple: stop salmon farming and allow our mighty rivers to flow properly.

If our leaders had the foresight to act in a positive manner, they would be remembered in history for saving a unique species rather than causing its extinction.

Robert Henley, Longford

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the slip lane leading to the roundabout near Bunnings Kings Meadows on the Bass Highway.

It has become increasingly apparent that this slip lane is grossly inadequate to accommodate the traffic demands, particularly during peak hours.

Recently, I experienced a harrowing incident while waiting in line on the shoulder of the road to enter the slip lane.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.

The congestion and danger posed by this insufficient slip lane have become all too common, exacerbated by the rapid development and increased traffic flow from nearby subdivisions.

With limited alternative routes before Breadalbane to turn off the Bass Highway toward Youngtown, Kings Meadows, Norwood, and other areas, this slip lane has become a critical bottleneck.

I implore you to take immediate action to address this pressing safety issue.

The slip lane urgently requires extension to adequately accommodate the volume of traffic or, at the very least, a reduction in the speed limit in the area.

The current conditions, compounded by the proximity of a blind hill and bend, pose an unacceptable risk to motorists' lives.

I urge Roads Tasmania to prioritise the assessment and remediation of this hazardous situation before a tragic accident occurs.

Karen Eames, Hadspen

It is worth remembering that the mainstream media reported Biden somehow receiving roughly seven million more votes than Trump in the last US presidential election.

What the media failed to say is that the election was decided by a mere 45,000 votes in the three swing states of Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin which were the difference between Biden's victory in the electoral college and a tie with Trump.

After almost four years of Biden's inept leadership, all the polls in all the swing states, not just these three, show Trump with a decided lead over his maladroit opponent.

It ain't over till the fat lady sings, as they say.

Jack Sonnemann, Lucaston

Tasmania's dysfunctional native forest industry has been brought into sharp focus in world renown scientist David Lindenmayer latest book The Forest Wars.

Lindenmayer a most referenced researchers explains how wet native eucalyptus forests are more resistant to fire than mono culture eucalyptus regrowth forests that replace the original forests after clear-felling and burning.

The benefits of native forests as carbon sinks and acting as sponges in holding vast volumes of water that is slowly released over the dryer months is totally ignored by the native forest industry.

The book documents how Tasmanians pay for native forest destruction.

For example, Forestry Tasmania lost an obscene $1.3 billion in the decade from 1998.

It notes how only a small percentage of native forest products end up storing carbon via furniture and house framing, the vast majority is released as carbon into the atmosphere via forestry burn offs and short-lived products like paper, thus contributing to climate change.

Amongst the reasons for the continuation of this inept forest management system are vested interests, political donations and lazy, fearful Liberal and Labor politicians who refuse to explain or champion an alternate vision.

That of maintaining native forests for income through carbon sequestration and bio diversity values.

Replacement jobs await in environmental management, sensitive eco tourism opportunities, weed (gorse) management and sawlog plantations.

Amongst the victims in the disappearance of native forests are our endemic bird and animal species. A terrible outcome for them and future generations.

Gordon Cuff, Lilydale