Senior doctors in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District welcome the Prime Minister's commitment to increase funding for the Shellharbour Hospital redevelopment, and the alternative government's decision to match this commitment. Total funding now exceeds $370 million.

We do however have concerns about redeveloping Shellharbour Hospital on its current site.

The current site is landlocked and will be very costly to prepare for a new building. It is poorly located for public transport and street access.

Redevelopment will be highly disruptive to hospital activities during construction. We would urge the State government, Federal government and alternative Federal government to consider the benefits of constructing a new hospital on a greenfield site in the south of Wollongong near a train station and the highway.

This would greatly improve community access to the hospital. It will avoid disruption created by construction on the current site.

It would be highly efficient for ambulance and other hospital transport travelling between the three major acute hospitals.

This position would allow it to effectively take pressure off Wollongong Hospital which is now bursting at the seams. It could be built in a similar time frame to the current plans for Shellharbour Hospital with little additional government funds.

It would avoid the need for a future Phase Two redevelopment of Shellharbour Hospital on the current site.

Our message is that Shellharbour Hospital should be redeveloped once, and should be located where it can best serve the future needs of this growing community.

Signed, 58 Illawarra doctors (full list at www.illawarramercury.com.au)

Bill Shorten had the gall to say that those who had worked hard all their lives and been able to save towards their retirement that they were in the tax payers pockets.

This when he, like all politicians, live a tax-payer funded life and will even in retirement and compared to all other Australians a life of luxury. Like all pollies he has not got a clue how we all survive with the constant rise in the cost of living.

Paul Keating said it right when he called those in the parliament scum bags. Their bubble has numbed their brains they have lost those things that make we humans what we are.

Brian George, Berkeley

Rue the day major parties attacked retirees. You flog to to death hard working Australians with over the top tax, now you want to bleed them in their twilight years they have worked towards.

Your days are numbered and yes that is a threat. We will remember you all and your treachery.

Peter Tornaros Oak Flats

Wollongong, NSW's third largest city with a population of over 213,000, remains stuck with the only cross-city team in the NRL. Why after 21 years are we continuing to be short-changed by the NRL?

Peter Smith, Windang