Minister for Skills John Barilaro said yesterday ‘’I’m confident today’s package will be a light at the end of the tunnel for many of the employees’’.

He was speaking at an announcement which revealed the State Government would be offering retrenched Bluescope workers fee-free training to get them back and active in the workforce.

The NSW State Government and parliamentary secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward are to be congratulated for the initiative.

It may not be the answer for every worker who has lost their job, but it may provide an option for many.

That’s a great start.

The NSW government’s Smart and Skilled program.opens more than 700 qualifications  to retrenched workers.

It’s also open to other workers such as retrenched workers at Pentair in Nowra.

 “This is a cracker Illawarra day and a cracker announcement from the NSW government,” Mr Ward said in true enthusiastic fashion.

“The steelworks might be in the background of where we stand, but in the forefront of my mind is those families and those workers that have been affected.”

Such a great initiative should be praised and at least the NSW Government, while not coming to the party full on a better deal for Australian steel, has taken some very positive steps in recent weeks.

It’s in stark contrast to the deafening silence coming from Canberra on the issue.

Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Chris Pyne has done little, if nothing, since taking office in reaction to this issue.

It’s high time he turned his attention to this region and came to the party.

The voters of this region will get to exercise their voice on a Federal level in the not too distant future and it is time the Federal Government recognised that.

Fairfax’s Australian Community Network this year teamed with Our Watch, a national body committed to ending violence against women and children, to launch the End the Cycle campaign.

With White Ribbon Day upon us, let’s stop this cycle of violence.