The way the passengers are welcomed by the local community will be the key. Two years ago on the Celebrity Solstice, it was at that time, the largest cruise ship to have visited  Newcastle.

As we entered the harbour, around 6am on a Sunday morning, we could not believe the amount of people out to welcome the ship. After tying up and coming ashore we were greeted by the Lord Mayor (let's hope our Lord Mayor is still in a position to do so) and a throng of smiling faces all out to promote their city and district.

As we had not purchased a ship’s tour we joined a free bus shuttle into town and noticed the guides around the city ready to help. We have noticed this in different cities around the world. Napier, New Zealand is another city that did it so well.

Let's show the Wollongong spirit and hope that more cruise ships come our way - after all it is a very fast growing segment of the leisure industry.

Sydney has nearly reached capacity over the summer cruise season so it is a great chance to sell the benefits of Wollongong.

Ian Birch, Fairy Meadow

Mr Devlin, it seems, has been a disability pensioner for the last 17 years (at least) and has received free medicare treatment, but seems to think that others in the same circumstances do not deserve the same care as he received.  As the Turnbull Government does not have a revenue problem (rubbish?) the only budget problem is  expenditure, so those in necessitous circumstances must do without.

Al Harris, Ashby

Labor's supposed “Medi-scare” campaign was closer to the truth than either the coalition or the AMA were willing to acknowledge prior to the election.  

The government wants to keep the freeze on GP payments, whilst the AMA want them reinstated with an additional co-payment on top for patients who they decide can 'afford to pay'.

If this isn't the start of a privatisation campaign, what is?

Jennie Morris, Wollongong

The right speak freely in Australia is disappearing at an accelerating rate.

Our nation is well down the path to a dangerous level of informal censorship – a censorship that is openly enforced by groups employing more and more serious forms of bullying.

When sincere and concerned people like Sonia Kruger are prepared to publicly express contra views to those spuriously claiming to hold the moral high ground and consistently represent the “views of most Australians”, they are treated shamefully.

Too often they pay a very high price.

Those famous words, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”, were once held out as the indestructible cornerstone of any society that demanded the right to exist without fear to publicly express an opinion on any matter.

There is no longer an acceptance that freedom of speech is a two-way process.

The situation has become one where, “it’s our view or else we’ll bring you down!”.

In modern Australia, not so long ago, a person who made a statement that the noisy end of town didn’t like would be accused of being politically incorrect.

That person, is now likely to be accused of a terrible crime ranging from vilifying a particular group to trying to incite war.

Richard Burnett, Wollongong