Nothing new here
I CANNOT understand all the hoo ha regarding the “new revised” Aboriginal and Dual Naming Policy (“‘Offensive’ place names set to go”, Mercury, June 7). One would think this is a new addition to the policy — it is not. The 2012 Policy had provision to change offensive names — “That consideration will be given to renaming places or features where the existing name is considered offensive to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.” In fact, the last group of names put up by the TAC to the Nomenclature Board (and blocked by the Hodgman Government) under the original policy included no less than three offensive names — N-----head Rock; Suicide Bay and Victory Hill. Likewise, the original policy also provided for giving Aboriginal names to geographical features — both “unnamed” (2.4:2012) or already named (2.2:2012) — hence kunanyi/Mt. Wellington. Nothing has changed, so please, stop window-dressing this political stunt as something new and innovative.
Consult us all on names
AS reported, Tasmanian Aboriginal leaders are pleased some places with European names like Batman Bridge and Bowen Bridge may be changed after the State Government announced changes to its dual name policy ( Mercury, June 7). That is all well and good but what about the descendants of settlers whose names were used to commemorate infrastructure and places? There has supposedly been discussion with the Aboriginal community on the policy, where some dual names will be used and some changed to an Aboriginal name. I cannot recall reading about consultation with the wider community. Surely the true meaning of reconciliation means all the community should be involved in changes that affect everyone.
Umm, why call it Straya?
READER Jack Tims is certainly correct that Australia is in the midst of a poor speech epidemic (Letters, June 1). He highlights the common use of the words arr and umm, however what I find more annoying than arr and umm is the poor pronunciation of Australia, Australia has an L in it — it is not pronounced Austraya or even worse Straya as you so often hear, ironically from academics, politicians, sports presenters, game show hosts, teachers, and a good percentage of the general public. So why is it that tourists, backpackers and immigrants have no trouble with the correct pronunciation.
Car phone shock
READING the Mercury, I nearly fell off my seat. It appears the State Government, with the RACT agreeing, and the Federal Government throwing in $10 million to assist, wishes to implement a program that requires a driver (and I assume it is a driver with no passengers in the car, which is a very large proportion of the population driving to work) to break the law by driving while using a smartphone to check the best route to get to work ( Mercury, June 5). It would be meaningless to pull out of the traffic, turn your engine off, check the phone, then try to get back into bumperto-bumper traffic. It would work if there was a passenger, who could use the phone.
Art in the bedroom
I SEE Mike Parr is to grace us with his presence with another cutting-edge, avant-garde piece of work ( Mercury, June 7). This one apparently involves putting on a blindfold and going for a wander round an art gallery while wielding a black paintbrush, followed by a question-and-answer session. The sheer courage and intellectual brilliance of this piece has me considering reprising my famous “Niall Painting The Spare Bedroom”. This piece was a searing indictment of the whitewashing of colonial history, and a powerful comment on male privilege and toxic masculinity. I would, of course, be available for esoteric bletherings on art at my local hostelry afterwards (your shout).