Queue better than harm
thousands of “tourist dollars” over the past 40 years in Tasmania. The reason? It offers the sort of natural experiences and unfettered access to magnificent wilderness areas and beautiful cities unspoilt by the usual flotsam and jetsam of the greedy commercial world all too readily observable at mainland “beauty spots”. We come to marvel at the unique flora and fauna that Tassie houses for the rest of us. Take this away and there is no reason to visit. Why would Hobart, perhaps our most beautiful capital city, even consider scarring the mountain – its majestic backdrop – with the poles, wires and noise of such an eyesore? The jobs, jobs, jobs will evaporate after the building phase and will cause the loss of genuine eco-friendly tourist businesses. Please do not scurry along the path of crass commercialism and please do not destroy the mountain in your haste to emulate the rest of Australia.
Near-instant torque
WHILE there are some valid criticisms of electric cars, a lack of power is not one of them. Online are plenty of videos of standard electric cars beating high-performance petrol vehicles. My favourites are of a sports car being beaten by an electric car towing a trailer with the same model sports car on it and one of an electric car towing a semi-trailer bogged in the snow. Basic physics, never the Coalition’s strong suit, explains why this is so – electric cars have near-instant torque and don’t waste about 30 per cent of energy in heat unlike petrol cars. My fear about Labor’s policy is that it is probably still not ambitious enough to save the planet. The Coalition’s response to it has been just plain dumb. IT’S hard to comprehend the outrage about the queue for the Bruny Island ferry. Everyone whinged about the implementation of a booking system which forced SeaLink to back off. Yet if a booking system had been in place there would be no queue. Turn up for your booking at the allocated time. If unable to get a booking – tough, come back some other time. In this way the number of people accessing the island could also be controlled. Residents of the island who complained about a booking system may find it a far better solution than being overrun by too many visitors harming the fragile ecosystem.
A new start
WHEN Scott Morrison refuses to increase the Newstart allowance on the grounds that the best form of welfare is a job, who is he kidding? How are people supposed to turn up for interviews when they can’t afford the transport to get to them, or to buy a new shirt if needed? Here’s a bloke who likes to wear jeans and a cap to the pub to be a man of the people. He wears suits to his day job (fair enough) while doing his best to give financial aid to those wealthy enough not to need it. It’s clear he believes in top-down economics, but I’m prepared to believe he’s sincere about jobs being better than welfare; it’s a no-brainer. But why can’t he see that by paying a pittance to Newstart recipients all he is doing is perpetuating a cycle of poverty, discrimination and disenfranchisement. A change of government would represent a new start, welcome by those in most need of support. But what does Bill Shorten think?