Palliative care evidence

TO correct the record on the claims made by reader Dirk Baltzly (Letters, May 23) about the Talking Point by Archbishop Julian Porteous ( Mercury, May 20). Mr Baltzly gets several things wrong. First, the article by Dr Pereira, who is a professor at the University of Ottawa and a palliative care physician, was published in 2011 (Vol 18, No 2) in Current Oncology, a peer-reviewed journal, not 2012. A critique of the paper was published a year later in 2012 (Vol 19, No 3). In this same edition (Vol 19, No 3) Prof Pereira provides a detailed response to claims made against his paper, which he is able to dismiss (apart from some citation errors, which he corrects).

There has been no challenge to Prof Pereira’s response in this journal. Prof Pereira’s work provides clear evidence to

CBD too shiny

I COULD not agree more with reader Max Wells’ comments (Letters, May 2) about Hobart losing its character and charm. It’s not only the ugly grey and steel structures rapidly rising in the CBD. Walk through the upper level of the newly refurbished arcade or into the new major department store to be confronted by glistering shops, shiny surfaces and you think you are in Sydney or any other major city. All the quaint character has disappeared and I no longer enjoy going into the CBD. Such a huge shame.

Green engine room

AGAIN Jan Davis has vented her ideological vindictive against environmentalists in her Talking Point column ( Mercury, May 22). My daughter and cousin are both farmers and environmentalists. That must be an irritant. They, as have many other environmentalists, have long been press-

Restrain children

WHEN will adults put the wellbeing of the most vulnerable at the forefront, in regards to children travelling in vehicles. On Saturday, May 13, I had some time to sit and observe drivers in the Northgate carpark. About every second car had a child/ children, on board either sitting in the front, sitting in the back, some in child restraints, some not, some anchored or tethered, sadly some not. I witnessed one child slide from her seat as the driver entered the carpark without following the road signs (another story). What can we do? Speak up even if verbally abused as I was. Children need everyone to speak out. Car restraints are expensive, I get it, but the life of a child, what’s that worth? My grandchild will have an approved car restraint properly fitted and, yes, I will go without to make it happen!