Combat TB to help us all

WITH World TB Day on Sunday, I would like to draw attention to the world’s deadliest infectious disease, tuberculosis. In 2017, TB killed 1.6 million people and made 10 million people gravely ill, surpassing HIV and AIDS. It continues to be the top infectious killer, claiming more than 4300 lives every day. In 2017 Papua New Guinea reported 5300 TB-related deaths and about 36,000 new cases. Given TB can be spread as easily as a heavy cold and PNG is Australia’s closest neighbour, there’s concern their health problems could become ours. I support RESULTS Australia, the Secretariat for the Australian TB Caucus, advocating for the Government to contribute 0.1 per cent of Australia’s annual spending on research and development of new drugs and vaccines. The suggested annual target of $21 million would be a valuable investment in Australian and global health. coach is available to get to Port Arthur? The local bus service has accessible buses. That isn’t the tourist coach tour I am sure is available to everyone else. I seek a commitment from Tourism Tasmania and Tourism Industry Council Tasmania for an action plan. It needs to be more than marketing. From my experience with the tourism industry council, this isn’t a priority, as I await a response from the board to a November 23 letter. If you don’t know what people with disability require, just ask. Investment in accessible tourism will bring benefits. able and biodegradable, and Tasmania can meet some of that demand from renewable resources and innovative products. However, we have to be careful to understand foreign markets. In Japan, plantations are being harvested and replanted to meet growing local need for building materials. This is a strong focus of the Japanese government as it seeks to grow regional employment. It is not simply a matter of them seeking to protect their own plantation forests while importing from other countries. At the same time, it is clear Japanese customers want products from sustainable suppliers. We believe we can meet those market demands.