Together with the Travelling Film Festival last weekend, this is quite a change for Wollongong audiences. Film festivals make us realise how limited our everyday choices are compared to the films that are made around the world. We would have very restricted choices of movies without initiatives such as these and the Illawarra Film Society.

 Some years ago we were told that the new GPT development would include a cinema complex and the Greater Union facility would become an arthouse cinema. Great idea, but it hasn’t happened. We’re stuck with a dated and inadequate building screening a limited choice of mainstream films that aren’t even programmed here.

To date, we’ve also been missing out on the spate of films of opera, theatre and ballet performances.  As well as the ENO, the Metropolitan Opera in New York has been producing seasons of HD ‘‘live cinema’’ events for some years. A number of Sydney cinemas subscribe. They now also play in a large number of participating cinemas including Bowral, Narooma, Mount Victoria and Wagga Wagga. 

I have asked Greater Union Wollongong to subscribe to the Met Opera but haven’t received a reply. If people in smaller places not known as centres of high culture can see these films, why can’t we?

Helen Wilson, Bulli

 Here’s an idea that may resolve a few problems without Shellharbour Council having to sell anything else that ratepayers own, plus get back some of the services we have lost along the way, eg. weekly garbage collection, buses for our elderly etc, etc

I  don’t know why we haven’t done it before, especially now as Shellharbour councillors don’t want to listen to the ratepayers. Get rid of them and amalgamate with Wollongong. I know a lot of people didn’t want it before but seeing as we don’t get to vote on who we would like as mayor and have had our say in what we want, why not? 

The money we save on the hub we could miss out on rate rises for the next three years instead of it going up $200 per year.  That is the bonus for Shellharbour residents and as for Wollongong Council maybe they could find a fitting area for the project that would bring a lot of tourists to the Illawarra. 

The land would be available down in this area for the snow business that was vetoed for JJ Kelly Park.

Bye Bye Shellharbour Council. If this does happen you have no one to blame but yourselves.

Vicki Crane, Albion Park Rail

Trade agreements do nothing for Australia, as they give all kinds of concessions to the strong trade partner while forfeiting  jobs and putting  companies out of business when they are unable to compete on this unlevel playing ground. They also enable overseas-based companies to avoid practices and regulations which provide safeguards to Australian public.  Double tax agreements  generally result in little or no tax being paid by multinational companies, so why have them?

Ben Morris, Wollongong

I have no sympathy for the Ashley Madison clients whose names have been posted online. They deserve everything they get.

Chris Dodds, Towradgi