Ms Armitage (Launceston) - Madam Acting President, as tempting as it might be to veer into other areas not covered by this bill, I will not do so. This bill tidies up and tightens the principal act. I note there were 64 submissions and a lot of consultation. It is important to say there has been much consultation. I noted the letter from LGAT, which primarily supports the bill but with a few concerns relating to the ministerial orders. I note the Acting Leader will address this in her summing up. I am going through some of the areas. I do not have many problems with this bill. I certainly agree with clarifying the role of the mayor, particularly with civic and ceremonial functions and
Ms Armitage (Launceston) - Mr President, today I speak about a Facebook page, Humans of Launceston, which has had a stunning response since it was started by East Launceston's Adam Page in July 2016. It features the life stories of Launceston residents. The storytelling is exquisite and the photos are beautiful. The page has received more than 19 000 Facebook likes in the last 12 months. The trigger for starting Humans of Launceston occurred as a result of Adam's chance encounter with an elderly man in a supermarket. The man was looking for someone to talk to him, so Adam did. It turns out the man, Willem 'Bill' de Boer, was 92 years old and a retired, internationally renowned pathologi
Ms Armitage (Launceston) - Mr President, we all love Vanessa. I think for everyone in this Chamber she is our Vanessa. I wish her well. I too, like other honourable members, hope one day maybe she will be back because miracles do happen. There is no saying she will not recover and I really hope she does. We love her dearly and we miss her. The Acting Leader, the Leader now, has done a wonderful job in her absence. We will have more stories, as the member for Windermere has said, at the right time. I want to say to Vanessa, if she is listening, that we look forward to one day when maybe she will be back in this Chamber. We wish her all the best.
Ms Armitage (Launceston) - Mr President, I am not going to get into the case of whether this cable car should be built or not because I do not think that is the bill before us. We have had many representations on both sides. I see the bill before us as an enabling bill to allow the planning process to commence. I appreciate the opportunity from the Government of the briefings yesterday from all sides, including the Hobart City Council. It was good and enlightening to hear where the process has gone and why this bill is before us. As with many proposed developments of this type, there are those for and against. They will all have the opportunity to put their views forward when the planni
Ms Armitage (Launceston) - Madam Acting President, I was not going to speak because this matter has been covered well by members who have spoken today. I acknowledge the honourable Vanessa Goodwin, who, it was noted in the other place, is the champion of this bill. I agree with this bill. It is appropriate to expunge these historical offences. People, whoever they are, whether male or female, need to be who they are. It is sad people had to hide who they were. We are all different. We have our good and bad parts. We are all individuals. The expungement of these offences is good. It will not help many who have passed on. I do not believe they should have been charged for being who t
Ms Armitage (Launceston) - Today I am going to speak about a club which is working hard in Launceston to support men through the simple act of sharing books and good conversation. The Tough Guy Book Club is encouraging men to enjoy reading amazing literature, but also creating friendships and supporting men to take care of themselves. It is important to note this group is for men from all walks of life, so you do not need to be a bookworm to join. The only rules are that you do not talk about work and you have to be nice. The Launceston chapter was set up in 2016, but the Tough Guy Book Club was first established in Australia by Shay Leighton three-and-a-half years ago. It now operates i