Wollongong City Council takes a stand, opposing Wollongong Coal plans
Wollongong City councillors have delivered a rebuke to comments from planning staff that few people cared about the expansion of Russell Vale colliery, voting unanimously to oppose the project. The council will now write to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) formally objecting to Wollongong Coal's plans, after a motion by Greens councillor Cath Blakey was passed at Monday night's meeting.
This was "on the basis of community concerns of increased heavy vehicle traffic, dust, noise, threat to the drinking water catchment, Aboriginal heritage sites and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as Wollongong Coal's poor track record on workplace safety, debt servicing and operating compliance", Cr Blakey's motion read.
Read the article by Ben Langford in The Illawarra Mercury, 28 October 2020
Read moreTraffic debate: Call to declare Wollongong beaches 'full' to outsiders on Sundays
In a debate over whether overhead electronic signage should be used to tell motorists when northern suburbs roads and beach car parks are full, Wollongong Labor councillor Janice Kershaw indicated Sundays should be off limits for out of town visitors. Councillors voted unanimously to approach Transport NSW and ask them if it is possible to use the signs to indicate traffic levels, travel times and parking availability this summer, which is expected to be busier than usual due to restricted travel opportunities. But Greens Councillor Mithra Cox said the council should avoid the "ugly tendency" of suggesting beaches were for locals only.
"I don't think that we're full, and I think that we can still be welcoming to visitors in our city," she said. "There is an ugly tendency I have heard from some of our residents to want to make the beaches for the exclusive use of locals only and I think we need to be really careful not to fall into that trap. Our beaches are free for anybody to use, including people from Western Sydney. It is very hot if you live in western Sydney, people live there because they can't afford a house near the beach, and they have just as much right to come to the beach and have a swim on a Sunday as anybody else."
She suggested the council should examine its "car dependency" problem, noting there was plenty of space on beaches but that different ways of travelling were needed.
Read the report by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 27 October 2020
Read morePort Kembla Gas Terminal raises ocean water cooling concerns
Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey is calling for strict compliance to environmental conditions for the recently approved Port Kembla floating gas terminal to ensure the sea is not polluted by cooled, chlorinated water.
The $250-million project was approved by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment in April 2019 then this year placed on the NSW Government priority list to be fast-tracked.
Councillor Blakey said sea water was used to bring the liquified natural gas (LNG) back from minus 161 degrees to room temperature, while chlorinated water was used to stop barnacles growing on the pipes.
"So there is a condition on their discharge licence that the cold water discharge can only be 7 degrees lower than the ambient temperature of the water in the receiving body, so in the harbour," she said. "This will have to be strictly monitored to make sure that we don't have cold, dense chlorinated water falling to the floor of the harbour. It is planned that if it's done well it should mix in with the harbour water and we won't get a concentrated cold water pollution problem."
Read the ABC News report by Nick McClaren, 27 October 2020
Read moreEnvironmentalists furious at council claim the public had made 'zero comment' on mine expansion
Wollongong environmentalists are furious after city council representatives told the Independent Planning Commission there had "not really" been any community concern about the Russell Vale mine, other than from "three or four" people. Other than those members of the mine's Community Consultative Committee (CCC) - council's Ron Zwicker told the IPC there had "been really zero comment from the wider public".
In fact, hundreds of people from the immediate area have opposed the mine.
Greens Councillor Cath Blakey will raise a motion at next Monday's council meeting that "on the basis of community concerns of increased heavy vehicle traffic, dust, noise, threat to the drinking water catchment, Aboriginal heritage sites and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as Wollongong Coal's poor track record on workplace safety, debt servicing and operating compliance" the council oppose the mine expansion.
Read the article by Ben Langford in The Illawarra Mercury, 21 October 2020
Read moreConfusion over coal trucks that could be back on Russell Vale's streets
Wollongong Coal CEO Warwick Lidbury addressed the Independent Planning Commission hearing on Monday over the proposal to expand Russell Vale colliery. Mr Lidbury said that If further mining at Russell Vale was approved, the trucking movements in and out would be similar to a project last year which didn't cause "any issues at all", according to
However, residents did in fact have an issue with the project - which saw Wollongong Coal spending six months removing coal stockpiles.
Greens Wollongong City Councillor Cath Blakey also addressed the commission.
"This Russell Vale coal mine pit top is the closest mine to residential areas anywhere in Australia," Cr Blakey said. "There are significant adverse impacts when it comes to water, flooding, dust, noise and air pollution.There are outstanding financial liabilities for remediation work. For a company that has paid no tax since 2013, has $1 billion of debt, on balance of the benefits an the adverse impacts, this project is not in the public interest."
Read the article by Glenn Humphries in The Illawarra Mercury, 19 October 2020
And ABC News report: https://www.facebook.com/greenscath/videos/2523536744603431
Read moreVerge gardens: Expect to see veggies popping up on Wollongong nature strips soon
Kerbside veggie patches, community herb gardens allowing neighbours to forage for food, or rows of native bird-attracting plants could soon be popping up in more Wollongong suburbs, as the council inspires residents to build new "verge gardens" across the city. On Friday, the council will release a new set of guidelines to help residents design these gardens safety and so they don't affect pedestrians and power lines, as part of a wider push to encourage more greenery in the suburbs. Residents will also be able to apply for $250 vouchers, redeemable at the Botanic Garden Greenplan nursery.
This change came about when Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey asked the council to come up with more formal guidelines after a Woonona neighbourhood dispute in 2019. Cr Blakey said the new guidelines would help ensure there were no similar issues in the future.
The council's parks and open spaces manager Paul Tracey said he hoped to see many more verge gardens, especially those making use of the many local natives available at the Greenplan nursery. And Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said there were great benefits to planting a verge garden.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 16 October 2020
Read moreRangers track perpetrator of latest Figtree creek pollution incident
Another one of Wollongong's major creeks has suffered a suspected pollution incident, with Byarong Creek at Figtree discoloured by a bright orange material on Tuesday. Wollongong City Greens Councillor Cath Blakey said it was ceramic fines from a tile roof being cleaned with a high-pressure hose.
"We were fortunate that people out walking along the footpath at Byarong Creek raised the alarm and reported it to council straight away," said Cr Blakey. "All stormwater drains lead to local creeks and eventually the sea. Byarong Creek flows through Figtree into American Creek, then Allans Creek and eventually Tom Thumb Lagoon also known as Port Kembla Harbour. We need to stop pollution from the source to the sea."
Read the article by Ben Langford in The Illawarra Mercury, 1 October 2020
See the report by ABC Illawarra, 1 October 2020
Read moreWollongong eateries, bars to stay open until 2am to boost nightlife economy
Midnight markets, late-night art shows or cinema showing that goes until the wee hours could all be possible under a new Wollongong council policy to encourage more after dark activity. The new policy will allow more businesses - including small bars, restaurants, cultural venues, function centres, entertainment facilities, markets and kiosks - to open late, in an effort to reinvigorate the city's "night time economy".
The policy excludes pubs and clubs, which will still have to work with police to determine their hours, and will apply only to the city centre within commercial, mixed use and tourist zones.
Greens councillor Mithra Cox, who has long pushed for more activity within the CBD said the policy would help new businesses.
"There has been a reluctance to approve late-night trading hours for any new businesses, so only existing businesses are able to trade past midnight, and for restaurants it's 10pm, which is really early," she said. "That means the concentration of late-night venues at the moment is basically the big pubs that have been around for ever. So the really significant and exciting thing about this policy is that means new players will be more easily able to get a late night trading license, which means there will be more options for people, and most of those newer players are smaller venues."
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 15 September 2020
Read moreCall to resurrect Crown Street Mall water play park to help ailing shops
During a debate on Monday night looking into rate relief for struggling mall businesses, Greens councillor Mithra Cox resurrected a long-discarded idea to set up a water play park in the middle of the mall. This, she said, was one thing the council could do to entice people to spend time in the public space, and would increase the number of people visiting the mall, leading to more incidental spending
"It's not our job to determine what type of shops there are, or at what price they are rented ... our job is the public domain," she said. "My grand vision for the mall is that we would have something that would keep people there for a long time and make it a destination in and of itself - the thing I would absolutely love would be a water play park like they have at Darling Harbour. When we have a reason for people to come and people to stay there - especially if kids want to come and parents will stay - it will mean they buy coffee, they do the shopping while they're there and they'll spend money there that they wouldn't otherwise do."
Indeed, about 10 years ago, the council proposed to build a children's water play area in front of the Church on the Mall. However, this design was scrapped after residents chided the council for lack of change room facilities nearby. Others raised concerns over the impact on brides getting married at the church, and the potential for people to slip on the wet ground.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 1 September 2020
Read moreWollongong councillors vote down push to reduce school speed limits to 30km/h
A majority of Wollongong councillors voted down a controversial push to lower the speed limit around some of the city's schools. Instead, they voted to get more information via a private council briefing, about the work council is already doing in the area of school safety.
Greens councillor Mithra Cox had raised the notice of motion calling on the council to develop a pilot project to improve safety around schools, by lowering speed limits, adding zebra crossings and prioritising footpaths and cycleways on school routes, among other measures.
After a long debate, Cr Cox's motion was defeated 10 votes to two, with only Greens councillors Cox and Blakey voting in support.
In reply to the majority, Cr Cox said she thought getting a report or briefing from council staff was an "absolute cop out".
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 31 August 2020
Read moreSouth32's Dendrobium Mine coal sludge discharge reinforces concern around mine transparency
On August 8 and 9 heavy rainfall caused pockets of flooding around the Illawarra. But at the Dendrobium coal mine, owned by South32 and located abeet Mount Kembla, the heavy rain "led to a release of water from the sediment pond … containing fine coal particles," a company spokesman said in a statement.
There has bee some cleaning up, but local residents still have questions around what went into the creek, in what quantities, and how much was removed in the clean up.
Not satisfied with answers provided in the last three weeks since the spill occurred, with neither South32 or the NSW Environmental Protection Agency providing media interviews, Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey is calling for clear answers.
Cr Blakey has submitted a motion calling on her council to write to the Environment Minister and appeal for a robust and comprehensive investigation into the Dendrobrium water discharge licence breach.
See the report from ABC Illawarra by Nick McClaren, 1 September 2020
Greens want better control of pollution and better enforcement
Two weeks after coal-wash polluted Brandy and Water creek at Figtree, the clean-up has only just begun. Wollongong Greens Councillor Cath Blakey is concerned the delay.
Watch Cath Blakey, speaking on Win News, 24 August 2020.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3188934481220605&id=392952930818788
Call for 'more robust' probe into Dendrobium mine creek pollution
South32 still isn't saying how much coal waste sludge was washed down a creek in Figtree from its Dendrobium mine almost three weeks ago, but says it has contracted out clean-up works on the waterway. The Environment Protection Authority, which regulates pollution incidents, will rely on the miner's assessment for more details, but estimated about 10 megalitres of liquid - containing coal fines - was washed downstream in heavy storms over the weekend of August 8.
The investigation has not satisfied Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey, who wants the city council to write to Environment Minister Matt Kean and seek a more robust inquiry. Cr Blakey will ask council to "appeal for a robust and comprehensive investigation of the breach of the Dendrobium water discharge licence, including a comprehensive clean-up of the pollution residue, and public and transparent reporting on the quantity and quality of the pollutants, and what actions are being undertaken to prevent further pollution incidents".
Read the article by Ben Langford in The Illawarra Mercury, 27 August 2020
Read morehttps://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/6898525/slow-down-wollongong-council-discussing-trial-of-30kmh-speed-zones/
Just as Wollongong Greens councillor Mithra Cox asked council to consider cutting the speed limit around schools to 30 kph came the news that the zones - which are sure to spark controversy - have been part of discussions between Transport for NSW and Wollongong City Council.
Read the article by Glenn Humphries in The Illawarra Mercury, 27 August 2020
Read moreWollongong councillor wants to reduce speed limit to 30km/h around schools
Wollongong councillor Mithra Cox wants to see the speed zone around schools being reduced to 30 kilometres per hour. The Greens councillor also wants to see more zebra crossings added around Wollongong schools.
The Ward 1 councillor is calling on the Council to develop a pilot project to improve safety around schools.
"My preference is for it to start around schools but I think ideally we would have a pedestrian friendly city all over the city," Cr Cox said. "But so many parents tell me that it is scary walking their kids to school, that it doesn't feel safe. A lot of schools and parents have contacted me at the council, asking for lowering of speed limits and pedestrian crossings. So far those requests have been knocked back. I really want to change that approach from council and say yes, pedestrian safety is a priority for us and.......we are going to be proactive and we are going to start doing this."
Read the article by Agron Latifi in The Illawarra Mercury, 25 August 2020
Read moreFears fast-tracked DA program could add to Northern Illawarra's traffic woes
Wollongong City Council has agreed to fast-track the assessment of development applications that create jobs, despite concerns from almost half the councillors that this could have bad outcomes for residents. Councillors were split six votes to five on whether to take part in a NSW Government program to push development plans through the system more quickly. Northern suburbs representatives were most concerned that further overdevelopment from ill-considered construction could "totally destroy" their area.
Wollongong's two Greens councillors opposed fast-tracking.
Greens councillor Mithra Cox said she believed accelerating development approvals had "a very great danger of exacerbating the problems facing the northern suburbs" and warned that the council should not be seduced by a funding "bribe".
Northern suburbs Labor and Liberal councillors, Jenelle Rimmer and Leigh Colacino also spoke and voted against the motion, as did Greens councillor Cath Blakey.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 11 August 2020.
Read moreWollongong City Council to introduce a weekly FOGO or Food Organics Garden Organics collection
From November, Wollongong Council will introduce a weekly FOGO - or Food Organics Garden Organics - collection to all households that currently have a green-lidded garden waste bin.
Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey was pleased that all councillors supported the move at Monday night's meeting. She has been working on this for over a year.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the FOGO trial carried out last year in Austinmer, Cordeaux Heights and Warrawong was "really positive with great feedback from participants, very low contamination rates and produced high-quality compost and soil products".
Read the article by Brendan Crabb in The Illawarra Mercury, 21 July 2020
Read moreBig surf, coastal erosion and vegetation
Big surf is battering the shoreline. The ocean is immensely powerful, but well-planned coastal vegetation can help prevent some of the damage. Among the speakers are Wollongong Greens Councillor, Cath Blakey, and energetic Jess Whittaker from Port Kembla.
Food recycling set to shake up Wollongong households' bin system
Wollongong residents are in for the biggest shake up to their household bin system since the introduction to yellow lid recycling, as the council finally brings food recycling across the city.
From this November, if councillors support the move next Monday, all residents except those living in multi-unit dwellings will have their green bin picked up weekly under the new Food Organics Garden Organics system. Food scraps will go in with garden waste, helping households to dramatically cut their landfill contributions.
Greens councillor Cath Blakey has been a driving force behind this initiative. She said the program would help create A-grade commercial compost, green jobs in the processing plants and reduce leachate, odour and methane emissions in the Lake Illawarra catchment.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 14 July 2020
Read moreCycle city on track: Wollongong councillors vote to progress ambitious bike plan
Wollongong is one step closer to its goal of becoming a renowned cycling city, after councillors voted to fast-track $4million worth of infrastructure, including major commuter bike links, a pump track and criterium circuit. They also agreed to place the city's new draft cycling strategy on exhibition - with residents now being asked to have their say over a 10-year plan to install more bike lanes, cycle friendly streets and encourage almost double the number of regular riders.
The strategy and budget were both unanimously supported, with many councillors saying it was "the perfect time" for Wollongong to embrace cycling.
Greens Ward 1 Councillor, Mithra Cox, who criticised the council several months ago for not spending enough on cycling, said she was thrilled to support the strategy going out for public comment.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 30 June 2020
Read more'Don't do it!': Protesters 'scare off' buyers for heritage fig tree land
The Lake Heights public housing property which is almost completely covered by the canopy of a heritage-listed fig tree has been passed in at auction, after no bidders came forward to buy it at the public sale on Satruday. Several dozen protestors turned up to witness the auction, bearing signs taking aim at the NSW Government for selling off the land.
The land is owned by the NSW Government's Land and Housing Corporation, and has been put up for sale twice in recent years after negotiations with Wollongong City Council to take the land for a park failed.The council said LAHC wanted a full commercial price for the lot.
Three councillors - the Greens' Cath Blakey and Mithra Cox and Labor's Ann Martin - attended the auction. All three said they thought the council should be able to buy the land and turn it into a public space.
Cr Cox said she would ideally like it to be passed to council in a "land swap" so that public money did not need to be paid twice to acquire the property.
Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 27 June 2020
Read moreRenewed push to make Wollongong a cycling city after COVID bike boom
Across Australia, there have been reports of surging bicycle sales amid the lockdown, which has forced people to look at socially distant ways to exercise and commute. As the country faces more long-term challenges of incorporating social distancing into people's daily lives, there has been a renewed push to improve cycling facilities in all Australian cities.
In this climate, cycling infrastructure has been a source of tension at Wollongong council in recent weeks, with councillors having heated debates about decreased budget allocations due to COVID-19 financial restrictions.
Greens councillors Mithra Cox said she was "bitterly disappointed" by the lack of cycling investment in the 2021 budget, as she had hoped there would be a commitment to building some of the major links which have been in the pipeline for years.
"We had been promised that this infrastructure would be built, because part of the commitment to hosting the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in 2022 is that we need to become a cycle friendly city," she said.
"You don't become a cycle friendly city by putting targets in a report, you have to provide the infrastructure."
Read the article ny Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 29 May 2020
Read moreLive music to be included as part of the post-COVID-19 economic stimulus for Wollongong
Wollongong Greens Councillor Mithra Cox's proposal to have subsidised live music as a part of a plan to reactivate Wollongong City's central shopping districts post-COVID-19 has received a boost. At the its extraordinary meeting on 11 May, discussing the draft budget, Cr Cox successfully moved an amendment to ensure that subsidies for live music are included as part of council's stimulus package.
Councillors voted that the 'City Centre Reactivation Fund' be used, post-COVID, to include a budget to stimulate the 5pm to midnight economy. Wollongong council would also explore opportunities to subsidise arts and cultural events in the CBD, especially live music provided by local musicians.
Read the article by Brendan Crabb, Illawarra Mercury 13 May 2020
Read moreGreens call for 10 weeks of free live music to help Wollongong's post-COVID recovery
The Wollongong Greens have proposed "ten weeks of live music" as part of the city's economic stimulus plan after coronavirus pandemic restrictions are eventually lifted. Greens councillor Mithra Cox has proposed that Wollongong City Council would subsidise local bars and cafes to pay musicians to perform over a 10-week period, to encourage people to come back into the central shopping districts.
Cr Cox said venues would be required to book musicians at or above Live Performance Award wages. The venues would then receive the subsidy from council after showing proof of payment.
Read the article by Brendan Crabb in The Illawarra Mercury, 7 May 2020
Read moreGreen light given to Austinmer Bathers Pavilion's accessible upgrade
A controversial million-dollar refurbishment of the Austinmer Bathers Pavilion which includes an accessible toilet and change room, has been approved by Wollongong City councillors. At Monday night's council meeting, councillors unanimously voted to accept a tender to repair and update a ninety-two year old building that has deteriorated and is not accessible to all. Greens Councillor Mithra Cox acknowledged how much the historic building meant to residents, but felt a door in the middle of the building was a compromise and had minimal aesthetic impact.
She quoted a wheelchair user who wrote to her saying, "the disabled community has just as much right as any other local resident to access this beach and we need appropriate facilities to make that possible".
"People can still sit and play music, use the benches, congregate and our friends in wheelchairs will be able to join us as well," said Cr Cox.
Read the article by Ashleigh Tullis in The Illawarra Mercury, 27 April 2020.
Read more'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
Read more