The recent war and bias by governments and big business against the union movement has seen many young people discouraged from joining their  union, and seeing the big picture of what unions have achieved over many years of struggle.

"Unions have been the only powerful and effective voice working people have ever had". (Bruce Springsteen)

In the early 1900s my grandfather worked a 60 hour week in the coal mines in Gunnedah for a pittance.  In winter he would only see the sun on Sundays by the time he walked to the coalface to begin work.

My mother remembered that, when she was a child and her father came home at night, she could only see the whites of his teeth and the whites of his eyes.

There were no facilities for the men to shower after work.

Miners were treated very poorly just like all employees. The miners united into unions. After years of struggle unions have won safer working conditions, fair wages, sick pay, penalty rates, shorter working hours, maternity leave and fairer conditions for most workers.

Big business and governments fought them all the way.

Workplaces with the highest union membership have earned the best conditions.

Workers must be united to withstand the continued attacks on them as shown by the recent Royal Commission on Unions that cost $46 .million.There were no criminal convictions .

The struggle for fairness continues. Please join your union and protect your pay and conditions that past generations fought so hard to win.

Olive Rodwell, Port Kembla

According to Adrian Devlin, (Illawarra Mercury 2 May 2018) the 2016-17 Federal Budget allocated $75.4 billion for Medicare.  

However, in the 2017-18 financial year, the Federal Government declared a budget of $75.3 billion for health including Medicare.

The Government claimed this was an increase on health spending of $1.5 billion from 2016-17.

Reading the Commonwealth health budget figures suggests more spin than substance in their presentation which may indicate where the confusion between various sources and letters has occurred.

Further in the last Budget the Government stated it would establish the Medicare Guarantee Fund to secure the ongoing funding of the Medicare Benefits Schedule and this suggests that the Government itself has concerns for the continuation of Medicare.

Ben Morris, Wollongong

The fostering of a Jail on the Illawarra at Kembla Grange may bring a number of benefits. Increased employment opportunities during construction and subsequent operation.

Business opportunity to support Industries - Catering, Education and  Psychology services, Visitor accommodation etc.

Fewer felons on the street as Magistrates could give valid sentences in lieu  of the soft options currently made due to the lack of prison beds.

The decrease in property values of homes adjacent to the prison could help  in alleviating the housing affordability crisis. Who knows, in 5 years or so, after its completion the NSW Treasurer may think :

"The Peoples   of the Illawarra  having been so good in accepting sub-standard  Rail and Road Infrastucture, taking the debris from our West Connex Construction  and now welcoming a major Prison we should acknowledge their sacrifice.

Let's use  some of the proceeds from the mooted sale of the old Long Bay Jail site to install lifts at the Unanderra Station! "

Eric Davies, Keiraville