BITS AND PIECES

dards to be registered and they will be outlawed. “Riders would also need to comply with the same rules as riding a motorcycle, including holding a suitable licence, wearing a helmet and obeying all road rules,” Mr Ellis said. “It is proposed that the new laws will start after six months to allow time for community information and time for people to find alternative transport or remove the engine.” So look out, hoons! The days of slapping a lawnmower motor on your push bike might be numbered.

Tassie Leading The Way For Equality

IT’S BACK TO WORK ON THE $3.5M SALAMANCA UPGRADE

Work on the final stage of the Salamanca Place Upgrade is underway again after a deliberate pause to allow local businesses time to recover after the pandemic. The upgrade to the busy hospitality and retail precinct is designed to create a more connected, pedestrian-friendly area between Hobart’s waterfront and Salamanca Place, prioritising people over vehicles. The $3.5 million upgrade to Salamanca Place is being delivered in multiple stages, with stages one and two already completed. Key improvements of the upgrade include removing kerbs and increasing accessibility, improving the space for events such as the Salamanca Markets and Taste of Summer, enhancing the look and feel with new plants and street furniture, and making the precinct safer by installing new CCTV and increasing lighting. Stage Three will focus on the area at the junction of Salamanca Place and Montpelier Retreat with the work schedule designed to minimise disruption to visitors and businesses, particularly The Whaler and Salamanca Fresh. The final stage of the upgrade is expected to be completed by November 2023.

Cloth Nappy And Reusable Sanitary Products Rebate

Every year 100 garbage trucks worth of disposable nappies end up in Hobart’s tip, increasing greenhouse gas production. In an effort to encourage parents to choose cloth nappies over their disposable counterparts, even part time, Hobart City

Council is currently offering a 50 per cent rebate on cloth nappies. The move is part of Council’s plan to reach zero waste to landfill by 2030. The rebate is also available for reusable sanitary products. For more information head to www.hobartcity. com.au and search for ‘rebate’. The offer is available until all funds are expended.

MO-PED TO NO-PED UNDER PROPOSED NEW LAWS

New laws have been proposed to ban unregistered petrol-powered bicycles from being used in any public area, including bush tracks, footpaths and bicycle paths. The bikes, which are excessively noisy and usually homemade (safe much?), are capable of high speeds, making them extremely dangerous considering most only have pushbike brakes fitted! Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Ferguson gave the bikes a spray recently, “We’ve received feedback from the community that these dangerous bikes are annoying and spoil neighbourhood peace as they are excessively noisy. Further, because riders aren’t licensed and the bikes aren’t registered, they are often the choice for idiotic hooning and other antisocial behaviour.”

The new laws would mean petrol-powered bicycles will be treated the same as motorcycles, requiring them to be registered. Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, said under the new proposed laws very few, if any, motor-powered bikes would meet the stan-

Tasmania is the first state to recognise asexual, aromantic and agender people by officially adding “A” to the acronym LGBTIQA+. The decision to officially include asexual, aromantic and agender people as part of the acronym has been hailed by advocates as a step forward for inclusion and equity. “The asexual, aromantic and agender communities remain some of the most highly misunderstood, mistreated and misrepresented LGBTIQA+ communities due to the lack of awareness for asexual, aromantic and agender identifying peoples’ experiences,” said Samuel Watchman, who advocated for the reform and identifies as a-spec (a member of the asexual, aromantic and agender community). “However, with the government recognising our existence by expanding the acronym, our identities and experiences have been, and will forever be, validated, inspiring future change that will improve the acceptance, treatment and perception of asexual, aromantic and agender-identifying people in Tasmania, across Australia and around the world.”

New Stadium Portfolio

A recent cabinet reshuffle has resulted in the creation of a new portfolio called Stadia and Events under Nic Street that, according to the Liberals’ press release, will “assist in delivering the promised AFL stadium at Macquarie Point and the Tasmanian team into the national AFL competition.” With ‘stadia’ being a fancy way of saying stadiums, are we in the market for more than one new one?