WHAT an enchanting photo (Launceston Historical Society, The Examiner, February 25): Dozens of children lolling and playing on the Royal Park Beach in February 1929.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
That this dreamy beach was washed away by a combination of floods and tides came as no surprise. The foibles of nature have long plagued Launceston. Made worse, as mentioned, by an inadequate sewage system (Hats off to the City Council and Taswater for efforts under way to finally fix the latter).
Imagine if the floods could be tamed and contained. Imagine if those beaches could be permanently restored. They could be, if there is support for one of the options in a call for a flood mitigation report currently before the Council and the State Government.
The origin of our problems is similar to Brisbane's. A 232-page book was recently published as "A River with a City Problem".
The Tamar Action Group is proposing all the options for flood mitigation be examined. With a proper cost/benefit analysis on each of the options - and the best option implemented. The best option might be expensive, but not compared to the loss of life, & billions of dollars in recovery costs.
Let's look elsewhere about how to handle flood risk. London, Venice, Cardiff Bay, Singapore have recently built flood barriers of different types (and they are now all working to suit their local needs and purposes).
Lismore in NSW did not. It had requested finance for flood protection studies. It was rejected by its State Government on Feb 22, 2022. Three days later Lismore suffered a catastrophic flood. The request for $100,000 had been rejected as 'premature'.
The Insurance Industry estimated $9 billion in damage, with 40 per cent of that cost uninsured.
The lessons of history (thank you Historical Society) are clear. Times change.
Climate Change and severe weather events are now part of our society for decades to come. For Launceston's next major flood it's a question of 'when, not if'.
Will our elected officials (and candidates) in all three forms of Government support the call for an urgently needed Flood Mitigation Report?
We hope so. Or will Launceston's dream become more like Lismore's nightmare?
Andrew Lovitt, for The Tamar Action Group
Prison costs haven't moved?
A COUPLE of points to ponder: The government maintains that a northern prison is needed, in fairness, to allow the people of Launceston, Burnie and Devonport easier access to visit their incarcerated friends and relatives than travelling all the way to Hobart. But they intend to build a massive stadium in Hobart, thereby making it more difficult for northerners to get to the footy or Taylor Swift. Second point: The prison still has a budget of $270 million. The same as it was five years ago when they attempted to dump it on Westbury. No increase in costs? They obviously don't shop at Coles or Woolworths.
Peter Wileman, Westbury
Criminal minds
OH WOW, apparently all it takes to become an 'expert' in criminal behaviour, addiction and our judicial system is to read a few articles in The Examiner. Rather than take notice of the uninformed opinions, (The Examiner, February 17), I base my views on the research done by credible experts who have done in-depth research into the causes of crime and the sentences determined, on a case by case situation, by judiciary.
They clearly show that locking up people who have addiction issues does nothing substantial to solve what is a medical issue and the subsequent criminal behaviour. And one of reasons drug diversion 'sentences' do not work for some is because in Tasmania there are so few facilities available for detox and rehabilitation. Not to mention the abysmal lack of mental health services.
On a final note, if the courts are so reluctant to jail people then why is Risdon Prison over-capacity?
Geoff McLean, Launceston
How many promises kept?
AS WE are once again asked to vote and judge the merits of those who wish to represent us, wouldn't it be nice if before each election those in government were audited on how many election promises were actually fulfilled? The same could be done at the council level where more than half of those elected said they were going to "Fix the Mud", because that's going so well.
Reg Aster, Sandhill
