Our police force have every right to feel upset and let down in that once again their call for improved wages has been denied.

Let’s face it, they have one of the toughest jobs going around and it is becoming harder as more and more people want to shoot and knife others and to drive like maniacs on our roads.

In a long journalistic career I’ve spent many hours working with police and I have always admired them for their patience and perseverance.

To add to their woes these days is the number of times we read that people they have brought before the courts get a tap on the wrist or some insignificant sentence.

On call 24-hours a day these men and women deserve better treatment and more consideration on the question of wages.

Not another one   

Here we go again with yet another study into the long proposed
Maldon–Dombarton rail link.

This time the Federal Government says it will commit $3 million towards a thorough study into the feasibility of the line. 

Fair dinkum, with the amount of monies already spent on these studies the thing could have been built years ago.

And more  

But looking at new strategies is not uncommon in our region as we now find that the NSW Premier’s financial aid to our area will be aimed at creating a $50,000 business marketing plan to promote new businesses to Wollongong, and to work with our university and the Illawarra Business Chamber to write a new Business Illawarra Strategy.

Haven’t we seen enough talk and strategies with no results, so why should we expect anything to change, particularly as many of those who will be involved have been doing this unsuccessfully for years.

A tale of two cities   

Now we hear that The Ambience development at Fairy Meadow might not go ahead at all and the question has to be asked what will happen on the partly developed site?

In contrast, however, our near neighbours at Shellharbour look like getting a massive redevelopment of its already expansive Shellharbour Square courtesy of the Stockland Group which will eventually, of course, draw more southern based residents of our city and further impact our CBD which doesn’t appear to going anywhere.

Big men hold centre stage  

Our football scene is being dominated lately by two big men of the game, rugby’s Loti Tuqiri, and AFL’s Barry Hall.

And now Wendell Sailor’s name is being bandied around as a possible retiree from the game as he seeks a media gig.

The Tuqiri thing leaves me cold as far as the ARU is concerned and “busting” Barry has probably made the right choice to get out now. But what will our local daily do if Wendell also goes?

After all they seem to run photos of him nearly every second day of the week!!

I’m 50/50 on this one  

There’s been a lot written lately about how much various city councils spend on their media departments, and while I’m sure there’s a bit of “over the top” associated with the question, I don’t think we can shy away from the fact some effective PR is needed.

Our local city council, and nearby Shellharbour for that matter, run extensive newspaper advertisements each week, but when you look at them they are generally informing ratepayers of what’s going on - when neighbourhood forum meetings are to be held, and who wants to subdivide what - all of which is relevant as far as I’m concerned.

But that’s where it should start and finish.