Already first
Teaching inequality
READER Michael Urquhart Scott urges us to vote No so children of same-sex relationships are not discriminated against, teased or bullied by other children (Letters, October 6). Yes, children can be cruel and they can be bullies, but on issues such as these they learn the cruelty from the adults around them. Voting No simply entrenches those children, who already exist, in an unequal society where their parents can be locked out of an emergency room or are not allowed to sign their kids’ day care enrolment.
What children need is a loving, stable home away from politics, not to be put in the centre of a toxic public debate about the validity of their parents’ relationship and their family unit. If people seriously wanted to avoid children being bullied, teased and discriminated against they would leave children out of it and vote Yes instead of targeting them as the No campaign has to date.
Silenced
THERE seem to be almost daily reports of attempts to silence those opposed to same-sex marriage , including abuse, misrepresentations, moral blackmail, sacking, removal of signs, physical attacks and denial of venues. Given the victims are de- NEW Energy Minister Guy Barnett says he will pursue a “Tasmania first” energy policy. Some might say it’s fitting that someone who fans the ashes of the old forest wars should enlist the name of a Rightwing Tasmanian political party that ended 11 years ago.
Others of a “less is more” inclination would maintain that a “Priority Tasmania” commitment is implicit in the role of being a minister in a Tasmanian government.
Coal not sensible
TO invest money, particularly the hard earned cash of Australians into coal extraction is not economic or any other kind of sense. To give money to such a company as Adani with its record of environmental and financial destruction is certainly not sensible.
Wind and solar energy is “intermittent” but this renewable energy is also often produced in larger amounts than required so surely it is sensible to invest our money into research and use of methods of storage, which are already developing rapidly.