The Blinds and the Blind

In Saturday’s Mercury – but unmentioned by the Examiner – was a page two article and a cartoon on the red blinds, or awnings, on 26 Murray Street Hobart.

The Heritage Council has fought a long and expensive campaign to have them removed.

In its wisdom, The Resource Management Planning and Appeal Tribunal has ruled, in part, in favour of the Heritage Council and the four lower blinds will be removed; the upper eight remain.

The Heritage Council is to be commended for its zeal in pursuit of such good taste.

I ask, will the Chair of the Heritage Council Dr Snowden now apply similar zeal to the problem of Forestry being exempt all Heritage Legislation in this State?

The repeal of this un-explainable exemption would protect our landscapes from the all powerful and corrupt logging industry who put it in place.

Perhaps over breakfast she could ask her partner Bob Gordon, head of Forestry Tasmania, if he could give the removal of this exemption his all powerful consideration.

It is a matter of importance, obviously far lower down the scale than blinds, for repeal would prevent his organisation FT from trashing our World Heritage landscapes with impunity.

Over a Hobart breakfast will the case of the Blinds be used to influence the Blind?

Earlier, by John Hawkins, on Tasmanian Times:

• New Tasmanian Heritage chair … and conflict of interest

• John Hawkins, heritage landscapes, Scott Gadd, Graham Corney, Peter James and David Bedford