The Illawarra Mercury is calling for this to end.

No longer can we continue to be the ‘State of Neglect’.

Member for Keira Ryan Park reinforced his support on Friday after the Mercury’s series of stories launching the State of Neglect campaign.

“I welcome the urgent review into child neglect cases that has come about after I raised the shocking case involving three children living in squalid conditions in the Illawarra on the floor NSW Parliament this week,” Mr Park said.

“In the correspondence I sent to the Minister I made it clear that the sentence options currently available did not match the serious nature of the offence and that vulnerable children need to be the priority when considering tougher penalties on those parents and guardians who continually and dangerously neglect their children’s welfare and safety.

“I thank the NSW Government for responding to  my request to have the legislation reviewed and I am looking forward to discussing this with the Minister next week when Parliament resumes.

“The protection of children needs to be given the utmost importance by legislators and a very clear signal needs to be sent to those perpetrators of child neglect that treating innocent children in this way will not be tolerated and the penalties imposed will reflect the seriousness of the offence.”

To that Mr Park, we say “hear, hear”.

We applaud the fact Shellharbour has been regarded as “regional” and is now able to access certain funding previously unattainable.

Yet, the fact Wollongong has been left out in the cold is purely political as much as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward denies it.

“Wollongong services the Illawarra region and beyond, but it is not considered to be regional by the State Government,” Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said on Friday in response.

“I am concerned that the two major regional centres in the State – Wollongong and Newcastle – are unable to access the Regional Growth Fund.”

To this too, the Illawarra Mercury says: “Hear, hear”.