Letters to the Editor, February 14, 2020

In your Letters to the Editor today: Forestry, Hobart’s traffic woes, and euthanasia.

The Upper Florentine Valley in Tasmania. Picture: DANIEL CLARKE

In your Letters to the Editor today: Forestry, Hobart’s traffic woes, and euthanasia.

No time to be felling forests

WHEN we have lost so much forest in the devastating fires, it seems a “no-brainer” that cutting down logs (specialty timber such as Tasmanian myrtle, estimated to be up to 300 years old), should be frozen and protective plans put in place. Old trees and the ecosystems around them take time to grow. No amount of money can buy thousands of years of ecosystem growth.

“Selectively logging” old growth trees for decorative timber uses, seems like allowing uneducated customers of prized ivory to shoot the last remaining white rhinoceros in order to decoratively use their special horn. Please, halt the oldgrowth tree-cutting today. And rethink.

Sarah Dempsey , Cygnet

UTAS relocation

JOHN Livermore focuses on important perspectives with the university’s move to the city (Talking Point, February 12). Firstly, $445 million as the cost for constructing new buildings in the CBD does not pass the Unibar test. That would build two moderate size buildings, there are 40-plus on Sandy Bay campus. So this price only works if UTAS flogs all its Sandy Bay real estate to pay for new buildings. This would include 100ha of undeveloped land. Go figure.

Evan Evans , Lindisfarne

Oath of office

IN view of the recent questionable behaviour of government ministers and parliamentarians, perhaps we should change their oath of office. In Australia and UK there is a simple oath of allegiance when being sworn in to office. I suggest we amend that and follow the lead of other countries and include an acknowledgment of the legal and ethical requirement of holding office as well. We could use something like Finland’s “I promise and swear … that I will, in the fulfilment of my office, follow the constitution and other laws, acting rightfully and impartially for the sake of the citizens and the society”.

Germany, India, Sweden, Poland, Brazil all require an oath recognising the office comes with a requirement for legal, ethical and moral behaviour.

Judith Knowles , Dodges Ferry

Get off Antarctica

REGARDING plans of putting a runway in the Antarctic, here’s hoping they will use it to remove humans completely. The damage done since Mawson was there, and all the scientific knowledge has done, nothing that’s been newsworthy or helped the world environment. Only the tourist trade, which is adding to problems there. If there is a future for this beautiful place we have to act now, all together.

M. Trimby , Claremont

Derwent ferry service

WITH the kids back at school, I couldn’t agree more with RACT executive general manager Stacey Pennicott (“Hobart feels traffic pinch,” Mercury, February 12). Ms Pennicott is right, “a lot more is needed to reduce congestion and increase active and public transport uptake’’. The Government must wrest control of the debate from the bureaucrats and get relevant parties in a room to figure out how to get a River Derwent commuter service operating, and look at how to implement the RACT’s 30-year infrastructure plan which was released last year.

Alderman Brendan Blomeley , Clarence City Council

Secret state

IN October a coalition of media and industry groups campaigned for changes to ensure Australia’s laws protect our right to know. I was in touch with our Tasmanian Ombudsman’s office this week to find out what is going on with two Right to Information external reviews. It appears not much. In relation to one, a draft decision was sent for approval in August, 2019. Despite this case being open for 217 days nothing has been forthcoming. The other review is still with one of the Ombudsman’s delegates pending a decision to be drafted. It’s been open 1090 days. That’s almost three years. The average time to complete a request for external FOI review is 1031 days. That is a lot of information being denied to the public.

Clive Stott , Grindelwald

For the record

IN yesterday’s Mercury it was reported that it costs Kingborough Council almost $500,000 a year to maintain the football ground at the Twin Ovals facility. This is incorrect. It costs the council almost $500,000 to maintain the entire Twin Ovals facility, not just the football ground. The Mercury apologises for this error.

Hobart, get onya scooter

HOBART is feeling the traffic pinch (Mercury, February 12). Long-term visions include trams, trains and ferries with major infrastructure projects including roads, tunnels and the underground bus terminal.

One way or another, all these things must be done but they will take time and a lot of money.

Commuter motorcycles and scooters are a cost effective, short-term part of the traffic congestion solution. Today’s powered two-wheelers are safe, reliable and insured. They save time and money for students and folks with bills to pay.

Government can encourage them as soon as next summer. Review and reduce the MAIB premiums and subsidise rider training. It means slightly less income but it also means increased productivity from less congestion, less pollution, even less with electric bikes and bikes do virtually no road damage.

In the medium-term motorbike parking must be increased but at least five motorbikes can fit in one car bay so that’s cost effective too.

Encouraging two-wheel commuting in 2020 makes sense but is there the political will to do it?

Damien Codognotto , Howrah

HOT TOPIC: EUTHANASIA

Dying for resolution

FULL marks to MLC Mike Gaffney for once again opening the discussion for a Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill. Recently, the Government passed this legislation and it looked hopeful. The Legislative Council, in its infinite wisdom, knocked it back and here we are again. Good luck Mike, but make sure we don’t get some half-baked pollie-fiddle. This has been operating overseas for 20 years so there are good models already tried to adopt.

Marilyn Quirk , Heybridge

Doctor’s choice

READER Paul Clemens (Letters, February 8) writes that patients should have a choice how to die, but assisted by a doctor. Why not use the choice of refusing artificial life support? Palliative care with modern medicine and it’s doctors can relieve pain and worry. Is it fair to select a doctor and expect him to intentionally end life? There are consequences later as an overcrowded prison and mental health shows. Is voluntary euthanasia voluntary or an excuse to demand the end a life through another? Voluntary may need explaining. If a mother chooses euthanasia because she wants to spare her daughters to see her deterioration and the daughters back her because they think she wants it because of pain or just to end it all?

There is no such thing as safeguards in any legislation, because loopholes will be there and found. Surely a patient can be in charge of self but not expect wanting to be in charge of a doctor? Not demanding, but working together would be better. When under medical care, it is not the patient who can choose, only the doctor can.

H. Stevenson , Lauderdale

Democratic rights

IN response to reader Samuel Green, Dying with Dignity Tasmania and other supporters of voluntary assisted dying choice do not have the power to decide the law or whether to extend it in the future (“Normalising euthanasia,” Letters, February 5). We live in a parliamentary democracy and it is the parliament that will decide what the law is for voluntary assisted dying, now and in the foreseeable future, to best meet the needs and wishes of Tasmanians. We are pleased to have the same democratic right as others to put forward our views. Right now, we all have a valuable opportunity to provide our parliamentary representatives with our views on Mike Gaffney’s proposed law for voluntary assisted dying. DwDTas continues to support a well-informed, principled and reasoned debate to ensure we have a compassionate, safe and effective voluntary assisted law in Tasmania.

Margaret Sing , Dying with Dignity Tasmania

Tragic consequences

HAVING read the comments of a doctor about voluntary assisted dying and the naysaying of the same, a time from my past arose. The event unfolds this way, an elderly man gives his wife a goodbye kiss as he tells her he is off to go and see the oncologist who is managing his cancer. This tormented soul, instead of going to the doctors as he had told his dear wife, made his way to the railway line and awaited the scheduled train and then as it approached he dashed in front of it.

We must consider not only the troubled soul and his dear wife and family, but also the train crew.

What about the very young police constable called to the scene who also was exposed to the trauma.

What about the trauma to the ambulance crews who attended. What about the trauma of the police sergeant and his accompanying senior constable who went to advise the man’s wife of her loved husband’s fate.

Could the possibility of “voluntary assisted dying” have spared the torment to the man who was suffering severely? If it had been in place would the terror and suffering of what had confronted the man’s family have been avoided?

This is only one of very many situations in life where this has occurred. It is very sad for all concerned.

One lives with the thought that one day we shall put aside our remote thoughts and bring about much needed changes to our laws.

I respect every person’s right to hold a view one way or the other. But the question to be put is this: what right do we have to sit so loftily above, as other people’s loved ones suffer?

A true event and the scars remain for all involved to this day.

Ray Marsh , Primrose Sands

QUICK VIEWS

No pork in porridge

WITH all the controversy surrounding the proposed Westbury Prison site one thing is for sure and that is the State Government cannot be accused of pork barrelling!

Chris Davey , Lindisfarne

Words not actions

SCOTT Morrison says he wants to do things differently when trying to close the gap on Aboriginal wellbeing by empowering Aboriginals to control their own destiny yet he continues to roll out the cashless welfare card that reduces choice and control of their lives.

Steven Kellett , Warrane

The wine bar test

WHAT is ScoMo on about when he talks about the pub test being the repository of great wisdom and philosophical discussion? He can’t be serious. Most people are intoxicated and in some pubs you can buy a cheap watch or hot TV. He needs to move with the times. What about the wine bar, the distillery and the craft brewery tests?

Tim Beaumont , Battery Point

Protect old growth

TASMANIA and its outdated rusted-on practice of logging native old growth forests needs to be lubricated by the reality of climate change. Old growth forests are an established ecosystem and must be protected as such. Logging of any sort will destroy this precious tourist asset.

Elsa de Ruyter , East Devonport

Cynical grins

IT may be easy for me to smile cynically and mutter “Why am I not surprised” (“Ferry all at sea,” Mercury, February 13), as I don’t live on Bruny Island or have any imminent plans to visit. Not so easy to smile if this is not the case.

Chris Needham , Kingston

Map skills gone South

GREAT work Mick Leppard (Letters, February 12), but we all know the reason UTAS Stadium has higher inflated crowd figures is the amount of southerners who travel to your neck of the woods. Our figure is lower because northerners can’t read maps and find there way to beautiful Hobart.

Daniel Webb , Glenorchy

Crowd facts

READER Mick Leppard fails to mention the teams that are playing have an influence on the crowd numbers. Victorian teams draw better crowds as do teams higher up the ladder.

Di Manser , Austins Ferry

A drop of vinegar

INTERMITTENT renewable energy without storage is like fish without chips.

Gordon Thurlow , Launceston