Share the cost
THE Hobart City Council should charge for people to go to the Taste, there is already a charge for the New Year’s Eve Taste.
There are many food, wine and cultural events around the state that charge and people do not mind paying.
If there was a charge to the Taste, either single-day or multiple-day tickets like the Dark Mofo Winter Feast, the cost problem would not just be put on Hobart ratepayers, but also those attending from the rest of Hobart, Tasmania, the mainland and overseas. wife and I plus another couple were regular visitors from Melbourne for the Taste of Tassie, that is until 2015-16. That year the Hobart City Council had introduced a card paywave payment system and we instantly noticed the number of vendors that had disappeared from previous years.
It seemed to us that a certain amount of “soul” had been lost to the event and we decided not to return until the old cash payment option returned.
If, as your article stated, revenue is down because of “reduced attendance and less than anticipated bar and stallholder sales and decreased sponsorship” surely A new way to have your say themercury.com.au readers have a new way to have their say. It’s free to use, just register and have your say. For more details and to register, visit the website. this speaks volumes. Alderman Hickey, I have one thing to say ... if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Not playing anymore
HOBART City Council are acting like brats saying they will stop funding to Dark Mofo if they do not get funds from the State Government for the Taste. In other words, take my bat and ball and go home.
The dotted line
I WOULDN’T trust a used-car salesman who wanted me to sign a contract without reading it first. Why should I trust a politician who wants me to vote on same-sex marriage, if I haven’t seen what the legislation will be? How can any of us be expected and encouraged to vote on something if we don’t know what it is that we are voting on?
In the pink
I SAW Elvis Presley at the Maydena milk bar. His Cadillac was parked out the front (his pink one). I saw a thylacine too (it was also pink).