Will Tasmanians need masks?

DRIVER’S licence photos of Tasmanians have been uploaded to a Canberra database for face matching, despite legislation for facial recognition not yet passed by federal parliament (“ID database battle”,

Mercury, November 4).

Will Tasmanians exercising their democratic right to protest be forced to follow the example of Hong Kong demonstrators, who use masks and umbrellas to protect their identity?

Elizabeth Osborne North Hobart

Something to hide

PEOPLE with a problem having their pictures in a national database must have something to hide (“Identity face-off,”

Mercury, November 4). Our pictures are everywhere, and if it enables the authorities to identify criminals, and any person who is going to cause any “law-abiding” person, legally, or illegally, within Australia, then I am all for it. Don’t forget that there is also a National Fingerprint Database, and fingerprints are harder to change that faces.

Bruce Reynolds Lindisfarne

Police-state test

CRIKEY. Hobart barrister and Mercury columnist Greg Barns has definitely pulled no punches and come out on the front foot (“Lockdowns, data collection and police drones … be afraid”, Talking Point, November 4). After reading his article, time will dictate as to whether we are already or on the cusp of becoming a full blown police state.

Chris Davey Lindisfarne

Slaughterhouse fuss

SO racehorses go to the slaughterhouse – why the fuss? There is nothing new in this – almost all commercially used animals end up there. As we have seen, the moment of death may be humane but everything else is terrifying for the animal, often for days or weeks as they are transported, penned and processed. And as we have also seen, it brutalises the humans involved. Time was maybe we didn’t have much choice – now we do. If you like animals, don’t eat them, or participate in their suffering.

Richard Upton New Town

World is watching

THE exposed mistreatment of horses in the racing industry must be cleaned up. The world is now watching the horse racing industry in Australia and its treatment of horses. Horses should never be whipped, kicked or beaten, let alone be killed in a brutal manner. The authorities and the RSPCA should observe the fate of all racehorses and if treatment is not up to humane standards then the onus is to act by dishing out hefty penalties and fines. It’s horrendous what is going on and those responsible should never get away with it.

Wayne McDonald Taroona

Should we all adopt?

READER Brendan Nicholls missed the point (“Not the fault of the industry,” Letters, October 23). It is exactly the industry that produces the massive supply chain of horses every year, many of which end up as wastage. If thousands of racehorses every year need to be “rehomed”, where are they supposed to go? How many new homes are available? Are we all supposed to adopt a racehorse, along with a greyhound, every year just to satisfy the industry’s needs to look squeaky clean? Why don’t the original owners keep them for life seeing they love their horses so much? It is exactly the fault of the industry.

Paul Archer Glebe

Legal complaints

THE Mercury’s headline in its story on the tabling of the annual report of the Legal Profession Board of Tasmania, “Surge in lawyers’ blunders” ( Mercury, November 1) was inaccurate and misleading. While the number of complaints against lawyers may have been relatively high, an analysis of finalised complaints shows 94 per cent of finalised complaints in 2018/19 were withdrawn or dismissed. In the past four years, that figure has ranged from 91 per cent to 98 per cent, showing that in the most recent reporting period there has been no surge in lawyers making mistakes. The Tasmanian legal profession assists thousands of individuals and businesses every year. Overwhelmingly it provides exceptional service and sound advice.

Crystal Garwood President, The Law Society of Tasmania

Teacher incentives pale

EDUCATION Minister Jeremy Rockliff tells Tasmanians to expect an influx of teachers into our hard-to-staff regional schools ( Mercury, October 28), but without an improved incentive package they certainly will not be the best and brightest. Our government provides an incentive of $2759 for teachers upon commencement and $2759 upon completing three years to go to remote locations. It applies only to Cape Barren, Flinders and King Island district high schools, Rosebery District and Mountain Heights schools, and Redpa, Strahan and Zeehan primary schools.

Victorian teachers prepared to relocate to their bush schools receive an additional $9000 a year for three years. That’s a difference of $21,482 over three years. A couple would benefit by $42,964! Respected forecaster Bernard Salt said in the same newspaper that one of the state’s biggest challenges was in convincing more Generation Zs the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of Bass Strait. The grass certainly is if you are a young recently graduated teacher.

Terry Polglase Lindisfarne