Wollongong City Council - as a regulator, a planning authority and a major employer that builds and maintains numerous community assets - is a key economic contributor. Supporting jobs that are socially useful and ecologically sustainable makes good business sense.

Cath Blakey, Wollongong

We have again been reminded that there could be a general teacher shortage within several years. This has been known for some time. It seems that the current NSW Minister for Education has been tardy in her job, and doing very little in anticipation of the potential teacher shortage.

Previous Labor and Coalition governments have not been successful in sorting out teacher supply issues. Teacher supply needs to be a strong attention-grabbing issue for federal and state and territory ministers for education, not making life difficult for classroom teachers by issuing directives and establishing endless curriculum and other reviews.

We were told of shortages and potential shortages of mathematics, science and manual arts teachers 50 years ago and it continues. It is time for our bureaucrats to shake the tree for ideas and be creative. Mathematics and science and a first rate education, need to be at the top of our list of priorities!

Peter Corkish, Wollongong

Ian Hyslop became a celebrity on our local T.V. screens last week and didn't realise it. He is running the iconic Gala Cinema at Warrawong and is writing a whole new chapter in cinema history.

The Gala Cinema in Warrawong is the last remaining cinema still standing that has screened every James Bond film ever made in order of release, from Dr No right through to the latest Bond flick.

The Gala has run every one of them. A Corrimal cinema burned down with Goldfinger, and Bob Vickery closed the Southline Drive-in with Octopussy. Any cinema that has Axminster carpet in the projection room has got to be in it for the long haul.

Dave Cox, Corrimal

Richard Burnett's defence of the Coalition not telling the French in advance of cancelling the submarine contract relies on falsehoods. [Mercury, November 22]. The PM did NOT try to contact Macron two weeks ahead by phone. That was when Dutton and party met with the French to discuss the contract, not mentioning cancellation!

Several hours before, the PM tried to get a phone link up for one hour before the announcement. It failed. The leaked text message [itself a breach of faith] showed Macron did not know. Hints and expressions of dissatisfaction do not cancel a contract. Direct advice is the usual way.

The cancellation was appallingly handled. Burnett should give up defending the indefensible.

David Goss, Woonona