Saving lives

READER Carlo Di Falco’s claim that the National Firearms Agreement has not saved any lives does not match the facts (Letters, March 21). In the 22 years since the NFA, no mass shootings have occurred in Australia. In the 18 years up to and including the Port Arthur massacre, 13 mass shootings occurred. This is not a statistical anomaly. The odds of this being for some reason other than the NFA is 200,000 to one. If the rate of shootings prior to 1996 had continued, Australia would have been expected to have 16 additional incidents. Gun laws save lives.

We shouldn’t pay

HOBART City Council has rightly raised concerns over drilling and surveying permissions on kunanyi/Mt Wellington ( Mercury, March 19) and has requested a further report to address concerns over liability for damage to vegetation etc. It is wrong that ratepayers should foot the bill for this. The onus should be on the proponents of the cable car to cover costs. It is bad enough permission was given in secrecy with no consultation, citizens of Hobart and the traditional owners deserve full and open transparency on such a lifechanging development in our backyard.

Developers can help

THE dichotomy of the urgent dilemma of homelessness amid welcoming of the planned five-star development by international millionaires leaves me questioning the priorities of our government/councils and leaders of this state. The duality of current thinking leaves little room for creativity when dealing with social issues. Multimillion-dollar investors must contribute to social fabric, not just serve the

Telemarketing con

I WAS targeted by a phone scam, a man who claimed to be from the Do Not Contact list for telemarketing calls. When I said I was already on the list, he said he was trying to get me added to the international list and all I had to do was confirm a few details. “Is your address such and such?” he asked. “Yes,” I said. “Do you pay your phone bills by direct debit?” “Ye-ees” (I was starting to feel suspicious.) “Does your current visa card have an expiry year of 2019?” At that point I hung up.

More pollies, lesser pay?

REGARDING increasing the number of politicians in the Tasmanian Parliament, if my failing memory serves me right, when the number was reduced from 35 to 25, members voted themselves a 40 per cent rise to compensate “for the extra work”. If the number is increased, I assume politicians will vote to reduce salaries by 40 per cent to maintain the status quo, but I doubt it. I feel 25 members in the Lower House should be more than ample to run a state the size of Tasmania. Our population is about equal to the numbers efficiently run by councils in Melbourne and Sydney.