Polluting blunder
MILLIONS of people, in every state in Australia have voted against the proposed Adani coal mine going ahead in Queensland. It will ruin the greatest freshwater resource we have in Australia, the Artesian Basin. It will pollute the air that we breathe, contaminate and destroy arable pastures and farmland, all for the sake of a few dollars for government coffers. Yet the Queensland Premier states we live in a democratic country (alas where the votes of the people do not count) and the mine will go ahead.
If it does, it will be greatest dictatorial blunder in Australia politics and, of late, we have quite a few of them, in state and federal politics.
Half Australia is owned by foreign investors. We the people of Australia, elect our government and members of Parliament to serve the nation’s best interests. As far as a politician’s promise, it’s like a grain of sand in the ocean. Drop it in and you will never see it again.
Show your hand
The Mercury rightly calls for Labor to announce its pokies policy ( Mercury, October 13). But what of the Liberals? All they have said is that they will reduce numbers by 150. That is, the cap of 3680 will go down to 3530 machines, the number in use right now. That’s not a reduction, it’s just spin. Beyond that, all that has been said is “we will not turn our backs on pubs” and “we won’t desert regional towns”. The pokies committee report had many recommendations and much evidence the Liberals have not addressed.
What form will their tender process take and what length will the licences have? Do the Liberals support individual licensing of venues, against the advice of Treasury and Gaming? Will the tax rate still be the lowest in the country? What are their policy’s harm-reduction measures? How will the licences for the casino pokies be valued and priced? Where is the Liberal policy detail? Of course Labor should announce its poker machine policy, but so also should the Government.
No chance of peace
AUSTRALIA’S Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has stated that “North Korea’s threats against our country will only strengthen our resolve to find a peaceful solution to the rising tensions on the Korean peninsula caused entirely by North Korea’s illegal, threatening and provocative behaviour.” More bureaucratic waffle. If anybody out there thinks a peaceful solution is possible under North Korea’s current regime, they probably believe in the tooth fairy.
Economic sanctions have not and will not provide leverage for a peaceful solution while there other major players filling the economic shortfall created by the West.
Smoking shock
THE amount of smokers I’ve seen in Hobart during a recent stay is concerning. Compared with Launceston, I feel like Hobart has triple the amount of smokers. Not only is this detrimental to their health, the innocent members of the public who are being exposed to their smoke are suffering as well.
The main issue I have is that there are signed areas within and surrounding main centres but these ignorant smokers disobey all signage. For example, the entry to the police headquarters in the CBD is signed with a relatively large no smoking sign but every time I’ve walked past, there have been in excess of about 10 people smoking. Worst still, there are policemen outside chatting, not doing anything about it. If this is how much Hobart cares about public health, I’m starting to wonder if anywhere in Tasmania really cares. Maybe the new, tougher laws introduced in Queensland would mean a healthier, more caring place to live.