We just want to wait

SOME time ago, somebody in their infinite wisdom decided it would be an idea to sell the Hobart Airport and make some money for the state. A buyer was found and despite DFOs and other money-making ideas, it has struggled to be a viable business opportunity. Since then there has been a litany of misery for people wishing to use what is in reality a community facility. Countless dollars have been spent to make it difficult if not impossible for anybody simply wishing to drop off or collect airline passengers from our airport.

We just needed some short-term standing space where we could wait in the car for the plane. Can’t have that! So instead of providing a short-term parking area, a fortune was spent installing guide posts along Holyman Avenue to further frustrate motorists. I feel for the security staff who are required to harass drivers trying to collect passengers with heavy luggage. It’s a real dog’s breakfast. Let’s have the government buy back our airport, so it doesn’t have to be a money-making venture to provide a return to investors. It’s like selling our Metro bus stops and charging people to sit and wait for the bus. Now, there’s an idea! into context, 200,000ha is 2000 square kilometres, meaning that in a little over a month 3 per cent of our state has been turned to ash, with more to come if significant rain does not eventuate. Our firefighters on the ground and in the air have done a great job, but to adequately protect our world heritage wilderness has been impossible. Significant areas of flora will never recover and for wildlife caught up in the fires this has been a death sentence. We need to keep pressure on federal and state governments to adequately resource fire mitigation and on-demand firefighting capacity to combat the ever increasing impact of the changes in our climate. simple: proper medical help for sick people. However, the rest of Australia is likely contemplating flat wages growth. We’re living through and trying to support each other through the aftermath of fires, droughts and flooding rains. Underneath is a nagging understanding that due to climate effects our sunburnt country can no longer accept government responses amounting to simply thickening the sunblock. Quibbling over medevac minutia can’t disguise government failure to create policy solutions for resettling current Manus and Nauru prisoners. There’s no real regional policy dialogue on climate or refugees. We lecture rather than lead. As Parliament prepares for another generous government-led election vacation, perhaps the big picture for voters is to decide who will actually provide government instead of who occupies government chairs.