Hold the hotels

AMSTERDAM has 18 million tourists each year which has totally changed the face of the city. To combat this, tourism has not been advertised for four years and hotels have ceased to be built. The locals are not happy as their local stores have disappeared and their lifestyle changed forever. I believe Venice has the same problem. Do we want Hobart to follow this example? Once too much development has occurred, you have lost what was once so attractive to all in the first place.

Poatina pride

THE open day at Poatina Power Station last Saturday was a reminder of the industrial transformation Tasmania experienced during this period of state growth. Post-World War II saw an influx of peoples, especially from war-torn Western and Eastern Europe to the Hydro schemes, with hopes and dreams for not only themselves but later, in many cases, their families. Subsequently, any thought of privatising this infrastructure has been strongly resisted, due to strong family connections and sense of public ownership. equivalent? Australia can’t even deliver the NBN without major hassles. It is the driest inhabited continent. Why are our politicians hellbent on cramming more people in, without matching services? They patch infrastructure and, to limit demand, often charge more to use it. The main driver of growth is immigration, with over 200,000 a year flying here with our Government’s blessing. It seems our Government’s only answer in growing the economy is to bring more consumers. Not only is it lazy governance and unsustainable, it’s damaging Australia’s way of life. on his face and I was beaming ear to ear. Mr Fitzgerald was a thorough gentleman who understood the value of good service and the respect of his staff. Rarely do you get that type of service these days, with the exception of the company I now work for, of course. A pleasure and a privilege to have known and worked for you sir.