Message from the heart

OUR society has reached a potential turning point. Many ruling institutions have been held up to the light and found wanting. Our elected leaders have less credibility than nine-year-old schoolchildren. Our legal system has given us a left-brain adversarial style of governance. We have

Own agendas

SUE Hickey has undermined the office of Speaker, concealed her true intentions and disenfranchised many people who voted for her. Under Westminster systems of government, a Speaker’s prime role is to ensure even-handed application of the rules of parliamentary debate and voting. They have a casting vote when numbers are even. But unless there are exceptional circumstances, they customarily vote with the government of the day. It is virtually unknown for Speakers to promote their own activist agendas in open liaison with opposition parties, yet remain a member of the governing party caucus. Ms Hick-

Be more multicultural

I AGREE with Rodney Croome that Tasmania has been the beacon where everyone is treated equally (Talking Point, December 11). I concur that “The AntiDiscrimination Act is one of the most important Tasmanian laws of the past halfcentury”. In addition to its beautiful landscape, we choose to live here for the warmth of Tasmanians. But we could be better by becoming more multicultural. In view of our closer economic ties with Asia, more Asians should be on boards and other advisory bodies. Our police force should have non-white police officers. Hobart residents have shown the way by electing two non-white councillors.