The flagging fortunes of Australia's manufacturing industry have meant the Illawarra region has had a pretty rough trot over the past couple of years.
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Front and centre was the decision by BlueScope to trim its workforce by almost 1000 to less than 2500, a shadow of what it was in the halcyon days when almost anyone could find work at Port Kembla.
News this week that BlueScope is planning a further round of retrenchments has also come as a bitter blow.
The knock-on effect from the BlueScope retrenchments has seen hundreds more Illawarra workers lose their jobs and the region's unemployment figures climb steadily.
So the morale-boosting announcement that BHP Billiton, which employs 2400 people locally, is planning to splurge almost $1billion on an expansion at its West Cliff Colliery shows there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It is a major boost for the region.
The $840 million project called Appin Area 9 will create 300 jobs during construction, including road and new ventilation infrastructure, it will be operational by 2016 and will ensure the future of miners already at West Cliff.
It's a credit to BHP Billiton, the world's biggest miner, that it sees so much potential in our region.
