"I'm embracing the opportunity [to run] and hoping to make sure that Wollongong's not portrayed as a neglected safe Labor seat. And I think the Greens have a best chance of making it marginal."

"We might get a change of government and if that's the case I think the cross bench will be even more influential after March. That's what I hope, that's what I'm campaigning for."

"There are so many issues where I've been dismayed with the local representation that we have."

"I was just impatient and wanted to come out on the greyhound issue when I saw the news about that. I know that Dapto desperately needs sporting and recreation spaces. It's a new suburb where it could be make or break for liveability. Setting up an international gambling hub based on animal cruelty is just disgusting."

Cath Blakey, Greens candidate for Wollongong.

Story by Glen Humphries in the Illawarra Mercury, 31 January 2023.