No wonder health is in strife
TAXPAYER-FUNDED PAYOUTS
IS it any wonder the health system continues to endlessly languish when you have these bureaucrats paid colossal salaries, receiving golden handshakes upon their retirements (“Taxpayer-funded payouts revealed”, Mercury, December 8)? Yet another example of this Government’s fiscal priorities and arrogance. How do you justify these exorbitant payments when the government offers a paltry 2 per cent wage increase to nurses, paramedics and teachers. Seriously? By all means a person’s remuneration is a contract, which should be honoured. But, whatever happened to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
Golden handshakes
TASMANIANS have a rich history of giving golden handshakes to a conga line of public servants from failed governors to an assortment of senior staff people. This practice is particularly obscene at a time when our hospital and medical services are underfunded and when so many Tasmanians are struggling to meet basic needs. There is something clearly wrong with taxpayers being asked to fill the gigantic Christmas stockings left out by public servants afflicted with the disease of entitlement.
What sort of car?
APPARENTLY state-owned (struggling taxpayer-owned) entities have no more use for taxpayers’ cars so they just give them away with no questions asked. I’m sure Will Hodgman said he was going to put a stop to these large payments that the unfortunate taxpayer has to find the money for. Correct me if I am wrong. Tasmanian Property Council, Master Builders Tasmania warn height limits threaten Hobart’s growth I for one would be even more proscriptive than just height given some of the architect designed eyesores approved by council in the not so distant past. There is no appetite for towers in Hobart. Move on. What I would like to know is what brand of car was it, how old was it and how much was it worth? Does anyone know who paid for the registration changeover and is the taxpayer still footing that bill? If government businesses have cars to give away could I have one please owing to the fact I am contributing towards them. The rich get richer. If this is what’s happening in France I can see why ordinary people on the street start protesting. Politicians leave them no choice.
Redundancy queries
A LETTER lamented the benefits received by the “top end of town” especially when it relates to public servants in the political arena or as senior department employees. The three public servants who have recently left their employment have huge smiles for good reason judging by the payouts indicated. How does anyone receive a $348,000 redundancy, an extra $44,000 for leaving immediately and a $38,000 taxpayer-funded vehicle in which to do so while another public servant received an $188,000 separation package for retiring. If these people had resigned or retired as stated they should have received no more than entitlements that would be afforded to any public servant doing the same.
This situation is nothing less than we have come to expect from the privileged end of town and I wish good luck to the public servants in their quest for an additional 1 per cent pay rise or an average of $1000 per year more than offered by our exceptionally well-paid ministers.
Tone it down on the bus
THE new buses are great! Now, how about Metro puts up a sign on the windows banning the use of phones on the bus! I’m fed up, as no doubt others are, having to listen to someone’s conversation on my journey.
Map front and centre
THE Mercury asks for suggestions on the design of the away strip for Tassie Devils (Mercury, December 8)! We should always be referred to as Tasmania and always have the Map front and centre on our guernsey! Nothing better than wearing the Map and representing Tasmania!
Too much Queensland
THE Tasmanian Devils clash strip I’m sorry looks ridiculous. It is like Queensland’s State of Origin strip especially design number 5. Whoever signed off on these designs has clearly got no idea but that’s typical of Tasmanian footy.
Still time to stop this
HOW depressing is it to know that, with the proposed Cradle Mountain Master Plan, Cradle Mountain/Dove Lake is going to suffer the same fate as Wineglass Bay. Wineglass Bay has been ruined. There is still time to stop this craziness. Is nothing sacred?