'We welcome the Ruby Princess to Wollongong': councillors support docking at Port Kembla
Wollongong councillors of all parties have called for political leaders and the community to have compassion for the Ruby Princess cruise ship crew, saying the city should "return the favour" after profiting from the cruise industry. In a departure from the message from her state Labor counterparts, Deputy Mayor Tania Brown, led the call. saying "I welcome the Ruby Princess to Wollongong".
Greens councillor Mithra Cox called on residents to "be calm and be kind".
"I know there is a lot of angst in our community, but they are humans on that ship and they deserve medical care," she said.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 7 April 2020
Read more'We're not accepting visitors': Sydneysiders warned to stay off Illawarra beaches
Sydneysiders who can't use closed metropolitan beaches are continuing to travel to the northern coastline of the Illawarra, despite repeated warnings to avoid all non-essential travel. Wollongong councillors highlighted this issue on Monday night, during their first online meeting, and passed a motion to make it clear that the city's beaches must not be used by outsiders.
Greens councillor Mithra Cox said social distancing was important at beaches, but said she wanted to issue "a plea for the community not to become a vigilante mob" and to treat fellow humans with kindness.
"I have seen some ugly comments in our community about outsiders using beaches and whatever," she said. "My question is 'how do you know that someone is an outsider? It has been our multicultural communities that have copped the brunt of this more because there is a perception they are from Sydney, and that is not always the case."
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 7 April 2020
Read moreIllawarra performers losing gigs, income due to the coronavirus pandemic
Like many others in the performing arts, Veteran comedic performer Dave Evans and country musician Benn Gunn are facing a loss of income as events are cancelled because of COVID-19.
The Greens are backing calls by the arts and creative industry for an urgent $500 million rescue package to prevent collapse of the sector in the face of COVID-19.
Wollongong Greens councillor Mithra Cox, also a musician herself, said a lot of artists and performers had used up their savings to get through the summer after the bushfires led to many event cancellations.
This was compounded by upcoming events not going ahead, and less typically taking place in winter, meaning it was a "scary time" for those within the gig economy.
"One of the things the Greens have been calling for is a rent amnesty and no evictions during the crisis, because there will be people who just simply can't pay their rent," Cr Cox said.
"People should also buy music from independent artists... Because that's a way of ensuring that people like musicians are still having some income coming in."
Read the article by Brendan Crabb in The Illawarra Mercury, 17 March 2020.
Read moreCalls for Housing Fix
Greens MP Jenny Leong called for a "radical overhaul" to fix NSW's housing crisis.
"Family and Community Services Minister Gareth Ward, and the NSW Liberal Government have failed to grasp the basics - to stop someone being homeless you don't need to count them, you need to provide them with a home and wrap around services and support," Ms Leong said. "We need to make renting more secure by improving renters' rights, we need to build more public housing, and we need to take the profit motive out of housing."
Wollongong Greens councillor Mithra Cox said the Greens are committed to mandating that 30 per cent of all new apartments built should be for social and affordable housing.
Read the article by Brendan Crabb in Illawarra Mercury, 28 February 2020
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Wollongong council's dramatic new plan to fix our failing CBD
Storm Drains -- Mithra Cox interviewed
Wollongong's storm drains could look a whole lot greener with Council looking into including rain gardens in new developments.
The gardens aim to filter water before it goes down the drain and help slow down flooding in the area.
Watch the interview, Win News Illawarra, 6 February 2020
Wollongong mayor says fire-affected council leaders should be paid more
In a tribute at this year's first council meeting, Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery acknowledged those who have helped and been affected during the bushfire crisis. He spoke of the tragic loss of life, thanked emergency services and the praised the efforts of Wollongong council staff who had lent support to the surrounding fire-affected areas
Cr Bradbery says mayors of fire-affected councils deserve to be paid more than a "measly" mayoral allowance for their tireless work during the bushfires. He also named Bega Valley's Kristie McBain, Eurobodalla's Liz Innes, Shoalhaven's Amanda Findley, Wingecarribee's Duncan Gair and Wollondilly's Matthew Deeth for their "outstanding job".
Greens Councillor Mithra Cox said words couldn't do justice to the sadness surrounding the loss of life and spoke of her own family's distress as her childhood home in Kangaroo Valley came under threat. Cr Cox also gained support for a suggestion to thank the ABC and its staff, acknowledging that during the height of the crisis, radio was the most up-to-date communication channel and, during power and phone outages, the only way for people to access life-saving information.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 5 February 2020
Read morePitch for innovative rain gardens to replace Wollongong stormwater drains
Innovative new "rain gardens" could soon pop up along Wollongong's roads and in parks, as the city looks for ways to become more drought and flood proof. On Monday, at the behest of Greens councillor Mithra Cox, councillors unanimously agreed to develop guidelines to allow the swamp-style gardens - which other councils use to manage stormwater and capture water - to be built in Wollongong.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 4 February 2020.
Read moreUniversity of Wollongong forced to dump coal conference over planned climate blockade
The University of Wollongong (UOW) has withdrawn from hosting a long-running coal conference amid concerns over planned climate protests. The Coal Operators Conference had been hosted by UOW's mining engineering faculty since 1998 and was scheduled to take place from February 12 to 14. The university said it made the decision after considering the needs of the community at this time and adjusted its priorities accordingly.
Climate activists had planned to blockade the event, and say the announcement is a strong indicator that the community supports tougher action on climate change. But Wollongong's Lord Mayor, Gordon Bradbery, claimed the coal and steel industries had been unfairly targeted by environmental activists.
Greens councillor Mithra Cox said the Mayor's comments were reckless given council's environmental commitments to reduce its emissions.
"It's utterly irresponsible that our decision-makers are not taking this seriously or not treating this with the seriousness it deserves," she said. "If you say you believe in climate change but we should keep burning coal, it's like saying you know you're driving off a cliff but you're going to keep driving."
Read the report by Timothy Fernandez, from ABC Illawarra, 22 January 2020.
Read morePort pool still closed - and no word on how long until it's back in use
Residents of Port Kembla and surrounds are heading into what shapes as a long, hot summer with the suburbs's landmark pool out of action - with no estimate of an opening day in sight. Wollongong City Council has closed the pool because sand was clogging up the saltwater intake pipes, and the closure seems to likely to extend towards Christmas and perhaps longer.
Works had also been underway this year to remove large amounts of sand which have been being washed up next to the surf club, hindering access.
In June Ward 2 Councillor Cath Blakey called for the sand shifting work to halt until it could be properly evaluated whether the solution was working.
"Currently, along the entire east coast there is a high volume of sand, mostly concentrated at the northern end of beaches," a council spokeswoman said.
Read the article by Ben Langford in The Illawarra Mercury, 12 December 2019.
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