Visitors to illawarramercury.com.au from October 2 will be able to subscribe for full website access to the latest news from the Illawarra for only $3.75 a week.

As announced in August, the new subscription offer will include around-the-clock digital access to all of the local news, sport and opinion published by the Illawarra Mercury, as well as essential community information and the latest national news, sport and lifestyle news.

Subscribers will also get access to digital replicas of each day’s print edition of the Illawarra Mercury, so they can read every page of the newspaper on their tablet or desktop. Subscribers who are existing e-edition customers will continue to get their digital version of the Mercury. 

There’s also the option to receive regular news updates, including breaking-news alerts, by email.

From  October 2 readers who want to subscribe can opt to pay monthly and get the first 30 days of access for free.  Or they can pay for an annual subscription, receive 20 per cent off plus the first month of access for free.

In a message to the Illawarra audiences and advertisers, Mercury editor Julian O’Brien said the introduction of a local online news subscription would allow audiences to choose the way they wanted to support the Illawarra Mercury  to continue providing its valued journalism and community information.

“As our audience increasingly reads our local journalism online via their smartphones and tablets, we need to make sure we can continue to deliver the coverage our community expects and deserves,” Mr O’Brien said.

“By subscribing for full online access, you will be supporting the Mercury to continue its mission to deliver the local journalism that keeps our community informed, entertained and connected.

“Our commitment to bringing you the news that matters in the Illawarra does not change, that remains the same.

“We can proudly say our  newsroom boast some of the most talented photographers and journalists in the country and they will continue to put you in the picture.”

Some content at www.illawarramercury.com.au will remain open to all website visitors after October 2, including classified advertisements, such as birth and funeral notices, and recommended articles featuring local businesses. Visitors can also sign up to have a free newsletter emailed regularly to their inbox, making it easier to browse the latest headlines and see what’s making news across the Illawarra Mercury.