How disappointing then that in the Australia Day edition there is an absence of recognition of Aboriginal people and the contributions that Australia’s first people have made to this nation. My search of the paper on Monday using terms ‘‘Aboriginal’’ and ‘‘first people’’ found no mention. There was a short piece about Adam Goodes on page 5 in a low-profile spot.

Why could the Mercury not have featured the Aboriginal flag, or some Aboriginal people, in its coverage of this day?

In Sydney, the opening of Australia Day included an Aboriginal ceremony and welcome to country and a young Aboriginal girl from Orange sang the national anthem.

Surely we are all enlightened enough in the Illawarra to not turn a blind eye to our Illawarra Aboriginal citizens who are our friends, neighbours and relatives?

I acknowledge the pain that our history of race relations in Australia carries, but this pain is not healed by ignoring its existence.

Denise McConnachie, Figtree

 Labor’s Anna Burke and Melissa Parke have called for the closure of Manus Island immigration processing centre, citing – wait for it – a maritime economic opportunist (MEO) or two might die. And, this remarkable statement is coming from an ALP, whose backflip on the former Coalition’s highly successful Pacific Solution lured over 1000 souls to their drownings.

 In light of what Burke and Parke have said, can you imagine what’s going to occur if we’re unfortunate enough to experience a Labor government Mk II led by Shorten this time round? I’ll give you a clue – a litany of leaky Indonesian-skippered boats, consisting of a boatload of MEOs, will set their compasses for  waters contiguous to Australia that, inevitably, will result in avoidable drownings.

 None of us should ever forget the tragically witnessed drownings off Christmas Island, and what party, supported by loopy Greens, oversaw a frightful policy that led to these drownings. 

D J Preece, Balgownie

In the past we would see them, road workers with a propensity for leaning on shovels, studying a variance of puddle shapes on building sites.

Past councils and employers had a soft spot for shovel leaners, whose meditative work moods provided a plethora of suggestions for discussion. Premiers and prime ministers greeted shovel leaners with respect – shovel leaners boosted employment and tax contributions.

And the life of a leaner was contentment:  a secure job; honoured domestic and taxation commitments and, through union affiliations, working conditions second to none.

Then overnight, shovel leaners disappeared – ousted by mechanised diggers; chambers and boardrooms found managers and directors bereft of information, twiddling thumbs; premiers and prime ministers beleaguered by bad employment and taxation figures made irrational decisions.

Then the lies started, followed by graft and corruption and secrecy – the end of responsible government.

So raise your glass to the “shovel leaner” and hope  that governments and the private sector embark on massive campaigns to include shovel leaners in their employment strategies.

The nation depends on it.

John Macleod,  Berry