The first coal mine in the Southern Highlands, the Cataract Mine, was opened in 1867 to supply the Fitzroy Iron Works at Mittagong. That colliery closed in 1877, the same year in which the ironworks blast furnace was shut down.

There have been numerous coal mines operating in the shire. There were at least 8 in the Medway area,  another 4 in the Bundanoon area and 7 in the Mittagong area. However, most people living in the Southern Highlands are not aware that of all of these collieries operated in the Wingecarribbee Shire.

Berrima Colliery opened in 1924 at Medway and served the Berrima Cement Works until the colliery reached the end of its economic life and closed in November 2013. It had operated for 89 years making it the longest operating colliery in the Southern Highlands.

Very few people even realised that the coal mine was there, so residents in the Southern Highlands should not be in fear of another colliery being opened.

It is intriguing that some anti-mining activists are “in denial” about having a coal mine in the Wingecarribee Shire.

Graham Pryor, Figtree

The geotechnical investigations for the F6 motorway are about to begin, and will form part of its business case, according to Parliamentary Secretary Gareth Ward (Research for F6 extension to continue, Illawarra Mercury, May 13, 2017).

However, the Government has directed Transport for NSW not to consider rail alternatives in the business case for this road. In other words, it's not a real business case.

According to recently-uncovered correspondence from the transport experts, we could complete the Maldon to Dombarton rail link, build a tunnel from Thirroul, and add extra passenger trains to Sydney for far less than building the F6. The savings to taxpayers would be well over $10 billion.

The experts found that these improvements would reduce the travel time between Wollongong and Sydney from 90 to 60 minutes, reduce road congestion, and provide "considerable economic benefits for the residents of Wollongong and surrounding districts".

Why is this Government planning to spend over $10 billion of taxpayers’ money, to build a road that will increase road congestion and its associated impacts on our health and environmental, while depressing our local economy, and keeping workers away from their families for 5 hours more a week than the cheaper option?

Jill Merrin, Ward 1 Councillor, Wollongong City Council

Brett Heino has pointed out that the "moral degeneracy of Australian politics generally, and the ALP specifically" is seen in the action of Anna Bligh. That a former Labor leader defends the profits of the banks is an example of that "political degeneracy".(Illawarra Mercury letters May 20)

 A labor leader now defends the policy of the Liberal party. This blatant hypocrisy has caused electors to abandon both the parties. There is aneed to identify issues that has caused this political degeneracy. Banking is a key one.

Labor privatised the Commonwealth bank which served the people's common interests to serve capitalist private interests. This ignored Labor's platform based on the nationalisation of the means of production. A betrayal that led many 'true believers' to desert the party. 

Labor now calls for a Royal Commission into banking    to expose a culture dominated by greed. A commission that will only confirm the culture, what is needed is a bank that will challenge it.

A bank like the one Labor privatised, another Commonwealth Bank.

Reg Wilding, Wollongong