Raising age won’t help

have already corrupted their souls and compromised any legitimacy, by reliance on international money and students, predominantly Chinese.

If we do not act now it will be too late, future generations will look back and ask why we sat by and sold our society and values so cheaply, although if you want to rule the world first sell it cheap TVs so it’s distracted. Maybe we deserve what is coming.

Win for transparency

CONGRATULATIONS to the University of Tasmania’s Institute for the Study of Social Change for its report on the need for transparency of political donations, and for its thoughtful recommendations, now being adopted in progressive states ( Mercury, August 6). At a time when the digital revolution is raising questions about the role of universities, it is reassuring to find UTAS encouraging research on controversial social and political issues, such as the need for transparency to help ensure a level playing field. Well done! THE proposal to raise the age of smoking is a largely useless motherhood statement. Those under 21 will just get older friends to buy them and it will not have any effect on smoking rates. There are two ways to overcome smoking, nicotine replacement therapies and e-cigarettes. The first has a small success rate of about 8 per cent, and the second, also an 8 per cent success rate, is effectively banned by all Australian governments. The Tasmanian Government could significantly decrease smoking if they, like New Zealand, were willing to legalise e-cigarettes, a largely harmless alternative that will reduce smoking and promote the health of all Tasmanians.