Equal dignity
TWELVE months ago a large majority of Tasmanians voted for marriage equality and rejected fear campaigns against transgender and gender-diverse people. We’ve seen people celebrating love and happily living in a fairer society. But the job isn’t done yet. Our state leaders have an obligation, arising from last year’s marriage legislation, to remove laws forcing transgender partners to divorce if they want their birth certificate to affirm their true gender. Forced divorce is just one example of the problems transgender and genderdiverse people face thanks to antiquated laws that take control of their lives out of their hands and gives it to bureaucrats, doctors and politicians. Our laws place people in unsafe situations where they are forcibly outed by identification docu-
Amazing journey
GROWTH and development can mean many things to different people. Our state is growing by leaps and bounds. Some of our achivements and ideas are the Three Capes Track, Derby bike trails (a booming industry), Cradle Mountain visitor centre, Storm Bay fish farms. All are or will create jobs. They are not large developments but sensible ones, showcasing Tasmania to the world. All credit must go to Will Hodgman and his Liberal government, because without these ideas we wouldn’t be on this amazing strength and growth journey. Without these projects such words as prosper and progress have no meaning, Tasmania has a leader who knows how to learn and operate with teamwork.
Baseball sloggers
I’VE been cringing listening to the (mostly Gen Y) commentators using the term “batters” to describe batsmen, a term that has been used in men’s cricket for over 150 years. Apparently I’m the one who’s mistaken. The level of batsmanship shown by our players bears little resemblance to batsmen of past eras, and is more akin to the cross-bat slogging of baseball batters.
Cable car for safety
THE South Hobart residents action committee is no doubt a bit miffed about the HCC elections. Maybe they should consider the rental cars and tourist coaches passing their community via Cascade Rd travelling to the mountain and jeopardising the safety of residents and children. With a predicted 10,000 tourists a month arriving in Hobart and a huge percentage having a visit to the Pinnacle on their bucket list travelling on a windy dangerous road built for horse and cart, the South Hobart residents may now, with some common sense, get behind the MWCC and support its construction.
South Hobart two-way
IF the new-look Hobart City Council wants to show how proactive it is, making the one-way section of McRobies Rd off Cascade Rd two-way to cater for traffic and tourist buses to the cable car base station would be a good start. Degraves St through to Apsley St was never designed for the current traffic load, let alone what the future may bring. These works would help preserve the Female Factory site, and increase amenity for residents.