A succession of calamities threatens our tourism regions

Amid concerns about tourism being unable to survive the winter without interstate restrictions easing (“Jaws of life as tourism faces dark winter,” 28/4), please spare a thought for those tourism businesses that might not even make it to winter, with their summer trade wiped out by bushfires, Easter and school holidays trade wiped out by COVID-19 travel restrictions, and now an uncertain winter looming. This is particularly the case for much of regional northeast Victoria, where spin-offs from the snow season loom large.

Yes, we needed to lock down, and in doing so have almost stopped the virus. Yes, we need to hang on a little longer to be sure, and to take care in easing. But on present indications, it should be possible to open up carefully for winter, and save not only tourism in general but also the unfortunate double-whammied regions.

Tim Fatchen, Mt Barker, SA

Let’s salute Captain Cook

If Captain Cook had not settled Australia, the French, Spanish, Dutch or some other group would have and the impacts on the indigenous population would have been the same or worse than what happened under Britain. Colonisation was inevitable, with only the colour of the flag in doubt. How about we just celebrate Cook’s achivement for what it was: a fantastic voyage of discovery, the impacts of which are felt to the present day?

Geoff O’Brien, Eltham, VIC

Our global weather test

The world is undergoing the largest and most important scientific experiment ever undertaken. We are about to find out if human activity has any affect on the gradual rising CO2 level in the atmosphere. So far it seems that the huge CO2 input into the atmosphere from the bushfires here and in other parts of the world last year, followed by the reduction in fossil fuel burning this year, has had almost no impact on the CO2 levels at Cape Grim in Tasmania or Mauna Loa in Hawaii. The results of this experiment will hopefully lead to a reappraisal of our problems. Maybe rising CO2 levels are following natural world temperature increases, not the other way round.

Peter Condon, Southport, QLD

The full story with nurses

I’m a registered nurse with a masters degree in nursing, specialising in dementia and elder care and can no longer find work. I applaud the work of all nurses during these challenging times but also believe in government transparency. While we hear of the magnificent work of nurses in ICU nad emergency rooms — and rightly so — there is another story that needs to be told. A large part of the nursing workforce is employed on a casual basis in nursing pools or agencies. With private hospitals essentially idle and public hospitals cancelling or reducing non-essential surgery, thousands of casual nurses no longer have jobs. The federal government has complicated matters by allowing nursing students to work. We do not need nursing students working in the health field when experienced nurses have no jobs. Casual shifts in the aged care sector have essentially stopped.

Nursing is not confined to the ICU or emergency room. The work of nurses across the spectrum of humanities needs support or we won’t be there when needed.

Andrew Dean, Upwey, VIC

Double standards at NAB

NAB directors have shown no respect for their shareholders by cutting dividends to their shareholders by 60 per cent while cutting directors’ fees by a 20 per cent. Unlike shareholders, who rely on dividends as their primary source of income, directors’ fees are invariably their secondary income source.

It is only reasonable to expect that directors cut their fees by at least the same percentage as dividends.

Bill Holmes, Kew, VIC