Private rental tax hike

Blatantly political

THE idea from Virgin Australia to honour current and past defence personnel on flights, including with priority boarding, is appalling. To join in what is a blatant political propaganda campaign is insulting to many Australians. It is insulting to the people being “honoured” because it is so obviously disingenuous in exploiting them as marketing fodder in what is essentially a promotional campaign. And it is insulting to all the other wonderful Australians who make enormous sacrifices in the service of their communities. It is divisive and decidedly un-Australian to single out one section of the community in this manner.

Trade based on cruelty

THE Moss report into the vile live export trade merely confirmed what we all know. The trade is only economically viable if cruelty exists on a massive scale, the sort of cruelty that sees sheep closely packed together, unable to stand, to eat or drink, to breathe, drowning in their own waste. Those pictures on 60 Minutes can never be unseen and nor should they. This trade has been responsible for one scandal after another yet the Coalition continues to support it. Barnaby Joyce made the situation worse when as agriculture minister he removed what little protection the poor animals had.

And now the Government is desperate that the trade continues. And it will be administered by the Agriculture Department, which has shown to be ineffectual in preventing cruelty. What confidence are we to have that anything will change? Labor has said it will phase out live sheep exports. If the Coalition gets back in, thousands and thousands of poor sheep will continue to suffer agonising lives and deaths. GIVEN the current housing affordability crisis in Tasmania, could Mr Hodgman please explain the decision of his Government to increase State Government tax on private rental properties in 2018. Surely he understands a rise will inevitably lead to an increase in rents as property owners need to pay the extra tax.