Think high-end and long-term
QUALITY OF LIFE
HAVING grown up in Tasmania, now living and working in Asia and wanting a state to come back to, be very careful about big investment from offshore in tourism. Mass tourism will ruin the brand, I’ve seen it. Yes, Asian tourism is where the future for now lies, but go high-end, small numbers not mass tourism. Big tours mean big buses clogging roads, people over-running sites, rubbish, special touristonly shops etc, which need infrastructure the state has not got. Small boutique is the way to keep money and jobs in the state. Going large investment from offshore is where the money will end up, to the detriment of the local population. Short-term gain, long-term pain. There are still no airbridges, and nor will there be. Car parking at the airport remains inadequate and extortionately priced. People park down the road and wait for a call to proceed through to the rigidly policed pick-up lanes. And for infrastructure, car parking for people who work in the city is a nightmare. Not everyone can, or even wants, to walk or cycle long distances. Buses to and from the Northern Suburbs are not an option for some city workers. We have an ageing population and, in winter, howling gales and driving rain. Be practical, and fix this state first, including the failing health and especially mental-health systems. living. Maybe it’s time to put a clamp on the amount of people immigrating here until we get our country’s infrastructure running ahead of requirements, instead of years behind and dropping further behind.
Keep us stable
I opened the Mercury to discover that both our major parties have set targets for population growth ( Mercury, January 12) There goes the neighbourhood. Also there goes their chance of getting my vote, so who to vote for? The Greens? Nah, they wouldn’t want to spoil their chance of a coalition with Labor, so I’ll be looking at the rest in the forlorn hope of finding someone who will support keeping Tassie’s population around half a million, which is probably a reasonable maximum for a state of our size and resources. This would also give our children and grandchildren a fighting chance of achieving the Aussie dream of owning a nice house, but don’t hold your breath.
Not-for-profit pokies
IF the problem with abolishing pokies is only about jobs, then as a first step make it a not-for-profit business returning 100 per cent (less costs) to the users.
Busy Airbnb
THE Airbnbs are part of the cause of rental shortage. Four houses in our street and several in the surrounding area in the last 12 months have been sold to overseas and interstate investors. Homes that once had neat and tidy gardens now have lawns not mowed and weeds waist-high. Two bedroom, one bathroom accommodating at times eight to 10 people. Where are the health and safety regulations?
Just the right smartness
AS a keen observer of animals, I often wonder what qualifies people to conclude some animals are more intelligent than others. In my view, intelligence is the ability to live in harmony with the natural world. In my observations, all animals do that 100 per cent.