As an avid mountain bike rider, who has travelled across the world to ride (i.e. Canada) my bike, I know the potential that Mt Keira and the Illawarra have to replicate great mountain bike destinations around the world.

A great starting point is the existing ‘illegal’ bike tracks that already exist on the escarpment.

These tracks have been around for over 20 years and when needed have been maintained by the riders themselves.

Riders from all over the state and interstate travel to our limited tracks already and to open this up and create new legal tracks this will create a boom to the area.

When we travel to ride, we stay for long periods and add to that destinations economy. As an example, 20 of us went to Canada last year averaging $10,000 each over a few weeks.

I would love for the Illawarra to benefit from this spending by my fellow riders across the world.

The Illawarra Mountain Bike Alliance is doing a great job trying to get the tracks legalised and apart for the adventure park.

I just hope that the council and landowners can get this going ASAP so that us mountain bikers and the local economy can get the boost we definitely need.

David Wood, Wollongong

I refer to the decision of Wollongong city council to debate the merits of re-naming the electorate of Throsby to honour former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

The Wollongong City Council’s southern suburbs fall within my electorate. Citizens of the southern suburbs are always pleased when councillors from the central and northern wards take an interest in what is going on in the area.

Regrettably, when 11 councillors gathered on Monday it wasn’t roads, bridges, pools or any other local services that was the focus of their attention.

Rather, it was the re-naming of the federal electorate of Throsby to Whitlam.

I’m generally reluctant to interfere in their deliberations, but I simply point out that of the 11 councillors in the room only one came from the electorate of Throsby/Whitlam – and he supported the name change.

Of course the views of Liberal and Greens councillors from the north Illawarra are interesting on these matters, but it cannot be argued that they are representing the constituents of Throsby/Whitlam.

I welcome the proposed name change. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam transformed Australia and his leadership had a deep and lasting impact on the nation and the region.

Since the councillors have considered the re-naming of a federal electorate, I hope that they now divert their attention to local issues of significance to the people they represent.

Stephen Jones MP

It is ironic that on the same day as Energy Australia (Foreign owned) sent me a glossy brochure offering a 21 per cent discount, if I switch to their service,  that they announce the loss of 300 jobs in their Melbourne call centre.

Do Australian Investors and Industry Based Superannuation Funds who own large blocks of shares in these Service Industries care that they are complicit in this act of bastardry. True the business is facing tough competition.

Is this the end result of our successive Governments rush to dispose of National assets to overseas interests? Loss of Australian jobs, devaluation of once profitable enterprises (albeit under siege from unsustainable Union demands) and placement of national security at risk.

What is next? A BHP-type bailout to help these Foreign raiders (poor buggers only made $80million in the last six months).

Eric Davies, Keiraville