Your Say: Letters to the Editor, March 9, 2020

In your Letters to the Editor today: Coronavirus, vaping, the road toll and politics

In your Letters to the Editor today: Coronavirus, vaping, the road toll and politics

Happy faces brighten sad times

WELL done to the Mercury on the coverage of the Launceston Cup (February 27). Being one of our major events of the year this was topped off by the five pages of all of those happy and smiling faces. In the photos they are all up and about enjoying their day and on the front page seeing those two stunning ladies with movie-star looks was something special. With so much sad news of late worldwide, more of the above is needed of happy times.

Charles Fitzgerald

Cambridge

Fast-track prison?

IT was reported the Federal Government was encouraging the states to fast-track any “shovel ready” projects to bolster the economy against the impact of COVID-19 (“Infrastructure to fire up,” Mercury, March 5). Hey presto and the State Government revives Major Projects Bill 2020 for its third time in the ring!

This Bill has the capacity to fast-track any number of controversial developments, with the Westbury Prison potentially the first cab off the rack. How lucky are we here in Westbury to have the Minister’s iron-clad commitment made on multiple occasions in parliament and privately right up to this point, to run the assessment of the project through the current planning process, which will involve the independent Tasmanian Planning Commission. It would be a spectacular political manoeuvre to justify the fast-tracking of the Westbury prison all because of COVID-19, wouldn’t it?

Linda Poulton

Westbury

On the trail

JUST watched the most gobsmacking trail biking tracks over Queenstown, stunning bush mountain territory. Here’s the answer to overseas travel with all its problems … look and enjoy what’s right at your own doorstep. I can’t ride a trail bike (much too old) but a first-time visit to the West Coast of Tasmania just blew my mind, the history, the beauty and the challenges of our past generation. The true grit of today’s generation to show us and the rest of the world what wonders we have at our doorsteps is just awesome. Tasmania has it all now and so much more, come and enjoy now. Wow! What a place to live. We are so, so lucky!

Irene Jacobs

Sandy Bay

Geelong for bikers

I’VE been a road rider since 1967 and I’ve taken my motorcycles to Tasmania on TT Line ferries ever since. Tassie is motorcycle heaven. Melbourne was the most motorcycle and scooter friendly city. The current city council and VicRoads have reversed that wonderful tradition. Footpath parking is under attack. Bike parking is scarce and can be expensive. Congestion is gross and aggressive car drivers are all over greater Melbourne.

TT-Line is considering moving its Bass Strait ferry terminal from expensive Melbourne to affordable Geelong. Good idea I say. For riders from Tassie it’s easier to get to roads west like the Great Ocean Road or highways to South Australia. Roads east are a local ferry ride from Queenscliffe to Sorrento. Riders bound for Phillip Island, Gippsland or NSW can avoid Melbourne altogether. Same goes for riders headed To Tassie from regional Victoria or interstate, Geelong is a safer and less expensive place to catch the ferry.

Damien Codognotto

Motorcycle Riders Association

Planning facts

ALDERMAN Simon Behrakis’s observation that I am a member of the planning committee (Letter March 6), is a statement of fact, which was never denied, hence not an issue (Letters, March 6). The three simple points in my view are, firstly, it was acknowledged by the planning committee members, of which I am a member, that planning permits are down, a unanimous agreement. No dispute. So, there is no “benefit” to be gained from “more closely reading statistics provided”.

Second, a question was asked and it is my understanding that the director of planning noted the substantive spike of building value in March 2018 could be attributed to the Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment. This could have inflated the value of building activity that year by some $200 million. Thirdly, in my view there is no correlation between planning approvals and the claim that council was not open for business.

Councillor Mike Dutta

Hobart City Council

Vaping a better option

MARK Brooke’s passionate anti-vaping contribution is understandable but avoids inconvenient facts (“Vaping can hook a new generation,” Talking Point, February 29). In an ideal world, people would neither smoke nor vape. Yet the British Lung Foundation last year stated “it remains clear that continuing to use an e-cigarette is significantly less harmful than continuing to smoke cigarettes”. The UK College of Physicians indicate long-term vaping is “unlikely to exceed 5 per cent of the harm for tobacco smoking”. Given the evidence, it is appropriate for Australia to reconsider its position. Anecdotal evidence from dozens of Tasmanian vapers and hundreds of Australian vapers who have contacted me suggests the UK may have got it right.

Eric Abetz

Liberal senator for Tasmania

Painting plans

THE winning entry of the Glover landscape prize must have Glover spinning in his grave. The painting is of a piece of meat on mashed potato. I might enter next year. A gum tree wrapped in toilet paper or perhaps a wombat dancing with a kangaroo?

David Hooker

Grove

Little evidence of effort to cut road toll

THE Government continually highlights the phrase “Towards Zero” with regards to the road toll.

Apart from advertising drivers to travel at 40km/h through roadworker sites and spacing themselves at 1.5m from bike riders which are good initiatives, I am not aware of any new ones to change driver behaviour. I feel the government, all opposition parties and the Road Safety Council are in a state of inertia. They we must think we are the best drivers in the country.

As far as I know there are no red light cameras, speed cameras can be counted on the fingers of one hand and we all must maintain our vehicles to a high level that must be why there are no annual vehicle safety inspections, given that pre-winter free RACT inspections have continually found many bald tyres, lights not working and engines with a lack of oil.

Until the culture of driving changes in Tasmania the road toll will not head towards zero unfortunately. Also, it is not the law to give right of way to other drivers approaching roundabouts.

Warren Robertson

Bellerive

HOT TOPIC: POLITICS

Not hopeful on these numbers

THE amusing letter by reader Barry Campbell on the competence of Tasmanian MPs reminds me of an insight I was given over 40 years ago after relocating from Sydney to Hobart (“Few competent MPs,” Letters, March 2). I had just joined the state public service and had been wondering about the capabilities of the ministers to whom I may have to report.

One morning a colleague who had just joined from much further afield was reading an acclaimed British economics journal. An article analysed members of both UK houses, Commons and Lords, in educational background and intellectual prowess, and concluded that out of roughly 1400 parliamentarians, 40 would fall into the competent category, ie, folks you might think capable of running a ministry.

Forty sounds a reasonable number. More than one for each agency/portfolio. That’s good you might think. He then got out his calculator and, applying the competence ratio to the then combined houses of 54 determined that Tasmania would have 1.5 competent members. Barry’s talent pool of six sounds better than 1.5 but either number is not really hopeful.

His idea of widening the field of candidates to embrace the intelligence of those who would not normally consider a career in politics may have some merit.

Neil Shillito

Hobart

Beating their chests

WHEN it comes to federal politics, Australians like their choices to be simple. We know them as duopolies, and Liberal and Labor, Qantas and Virgin, and Coles and Woolworths are examples. Regrettably, economy and environment have not yet achieved duopoly status in the Australian psyche. While Aussies like to beat their chests on the environment, they’re not so keen to pay for making it better. The economy looks set to have primacy for decades, especially when faced with the unvarying choice of federal Liberal and Labor, parties that will go on putting the jobs of coal miners first and the environmental effects of their choices second. And while we go on voting them back into power.

Michael McCall

Primrose Sands

Perks and porkies

QUESTION Time likened to a pack of ill-mannered children, Estimates Committees turned into star chambers, core and non-core promises, lies and blatant pork-barrelling. It is any wonder voters have little respect for our politicians? We elect people to govern on our behalf, and most of the time we see and hear nothing from the majority until election time.

Then there are pollies’ perks, overseas study tours with and without family, generous expense accounts. In many cases they do not reflect community wishes, instead falling in to party lines. Instead of getting down to business, pollies set up committees to look into issues or engage consultants at monstrous fees. Who penned the bumper sticker, “Don’t encourage the bastards, don’t vote”?

Ian Beadle

Montrose

Colour-code ministers

FURTHER to reader Jim Heys’s concerns about Scott Morrison’s use of the coronavirus emergency as a shield to protect him from explaining “the many questionable activities he has been involved in” (Letters, March 7) plus the latest revelations by former minister Bridget McKenzie on the sport grants program (“Ex-minister’s denial on sports-rort changes”, Mercury, March 7) perhaps it’s time for an independently overseen media colour code rating for the reliability of government emissions.

Stephen Jeffery

Sandy Bay

What are they hiding?

WHEN are we going to get a government who will declare all donations then release these hidden reports. If something is shonky it’s no wonder they keep the public from knowing. Sue Hickey wants the change it’s just a pity she cannot act on it to let the public know. Surely there is someone who can do something. Have our politicians got something to hide?

Brian Ayers

Warrane

QUICK VIEWS

Heads up on lights

SORRY guys, high-powered LED driving lights are not factory fitted and should be covered during on road-use. Some are causing me problems. Heads up.

Robert Lovell

Dysart

Meat muddle

WOULD it be too controversial to suggest that Robert O’Connor’s giant cooked lamb leg is actually a lump of beef (“Glover prize-winner to eat ‘actual food’,” Mercury, March 7)?

Les Strong

Lachlan

Cruise ship safety assurance

ANOTHER cruise ship holed up off San Francisco with positive tests for coronavirus, while island destinations in the South Pacific region turn cruise ships away. Could we please have an assurance from the state Health Department that visiting cruise ships disembarking thousands of passengers in one day pose no risk to public health in Tasmania.

Yvonne Stark

Battery Point

Water washing away

WALKING in the rain on lower Sandy Bay beach on Thursday, I noticed a drain pouring thousands of litres of fresh, firefighting water into the Derwent and out to sea. I’m sure there are hundreds of these drains around our state. Surely there is a way to capture and store this precious resource.

Kerry Harrison

Taroona

What kind of country?

WHAT kind of country are we living in if a homeless man gets fined for taking food out of rubbish bins outside a business (Mercury, March 5)? I worked in homeless services for three years. If we cannot protect our most vulnerable, then what kind of country have we become?

Nicole Luhrs

Faulconbridge, NSW

Switch on your headlights

I FREQUENTLY see vehicles being driven after dark around Hobart’s suburbs without their headlights on. Police should be throwing the book at these idiotic drivers before someone is maimed or killed. It doesn’t take much brainpower to turn a switch!

Steve Bailey

Glenorchy

Protect tradies from virus

IS there any plan to protect tradespeople from this virus if something goes wrong in a house where there are people self-quarantined. Will there have to be provisions for hazmat suits and places to decontaminate afterwards?

Jan Smith

Blackmans Bay

Filled to the rim

THE Mercury appears flush with a plethora of letter writers concerned with the clearing of toilet paper from supermarket shelves. It appears they are really on a roll!

Raymond Harvey

Claremont