Wollongong council has voted to extend the city’s so-called alcohol-free zones for another four years, but deferred a decision on police “tip-out” powers at a new proposed area, Osborne Park. The zonings expire on September 30. Councillors lingered over multiple peculiarities linked to the rules at their Monday meeting. Greens Councillor Mithra Cox made the case for postponing a decision to allow council to evaluate the success of the zones, in line with ministerial guidelines. However, council decided to rubber-stamp the present zoning.

Jamie Dixon will contest the November 24 Wollongong City Council Ward 3 by-election for the Greens. The 45-year-old lives in Koonawarra and is an alpaca shearer and psychologist to be. Jamie. ran for the Greens, in the same ward, at the general election last September. Mr Dixon polled strongly then and hopes to go one better this time. The by-election, which the Liberal party won’t contest, was sparked by the resignation of Labor councillor Chris Connor.

A marine sanctuary zone over part of the Five Islands is exactly what marine life needs to ensure it thrives, Wollongong Greens Councillor Cath Blakey said. Under plans proposed by the State Government, Flinders Islet (Toothbrush Island) would become a sanctuary zone, where fishing of any sort would not be allowed, other than Aboriginal cultural and heritage usage. The rest of the Five Islands zone would be a “special purpose zone”, where recreational and commercial fishing would be allowed, including spear fishing, taking abalone, and rock lobster fishing. But gathering shells and marine vegetation would be off-limits as the islands are an important seabird habitat.

A group of Illawarra environmentalists, including Greens councillors Mithra Cox and Cath Blakey, wore disguises on Friday as they staged a protest in slow motion over Wollongong Coal’s Russell Vale slag heap. The protest was staged to coincide with Wollongong Coal’s annual general meeting which was held on Friday in Towradgi. Illawarra Residents for Responsible Mining (IRRM) said Wollongong City Council (WCC) had known for years about the unlawful 200,000 tonne stockpile, which is partly on public land, but had been too slow to act.

The Greens have attacked the police’s drug dog program, as the party launched its ‘Sniff Off’ campaign in Wollongong on Friday. Greens MP David Shoebridge, the ‘Sniff Off’ team and Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey launched the initiative. 

Read the article by Brendan Crabb in The Illawarra Mercury, 27 July 2018

Greens councillor, Cath Blakey, was one of 6 councillors tp put forward a motion recording that the city stands against  the NSW Government’s idea to build a new correctional centre at Kembla Grange. The public gallery was packed, and there were cheers when Wollongong's councillorsunanimously voted to oppose the jail.

See the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 23 July 2018

Earlier this year, the Illawarra Mercury reported a council policy ruling out “no non-competitive swimming”  at school swimming carnivals at public pools. Greens councillor Mithra Cox took up the baton in regards to Wollongong council’s “pool fun ban” and has come out swimmingly. On 25 June  night, council staff present a report recommending changes to the council policy removing the restriction on “no non-competitive swimming”.

All the councillors supported bringing back novelty races.

A stroke of common sense. Get your noodles ready kids, the races are back on. And, at least for now, the fun police are back in their box.

Read the report by Kate McIlwain, in the Illawarra Mercury, 22 June 2018

Read the editorial in the Illawarra Mercury, 23 June 2018

The director of Port Kembla’s community-based Tender Funerals pleaded with Wollongong councillors to find a way to keep the city’s crematorium in public hands. The organisation’s general manager Jenny Briscoe-Hough said she feared shutting-down the Berkeley cremator and leaving two privately-run operations to service Wollongong would lead to rising costs for funerals and cremations.

However, at Monday night’s council meeting, a majority of councillors rejected this appeal, voting against a motion from the Greens’ Mithra Cox to call for expressions of interest from organisations wishing to operate the public facility. Cr Cox said she, as well as Labor MP Paul Scully, had been contacted by “a huge number” of residents concerned over the closure of the crematorium.

Wollongong councillors will be forced to weigh up competing views of Botanic Garden volunteers and hundreds of junior footballers as they deliberate over a University of Wollongong plan to install a synthetic pitch at Kooloobong Ovals. Greens councillors Mithra Cox and Cath Blakey voted against the second round of consultation, arguing that the university’s plan was not designed to benefit the wider community.

Other councillors supported the new consultation, but raised concerns that UOW’s proposed upgrades should not be approved before a new master plan for the Botanic Garden was complete. After a long debate, councillors voted 10-2 to place the university’s deal back out on public exhibition.

For Wollongong’s “Souva King” Frank Kaadan, getting some late-night revellers a bite to eat when they’ve had too much to drink is common sense. But while he wants to extend his Kembla St eatery’s hours beyond 2am on Friday and Saturday nights, he said police and the city council had told him it couldn’t happen.

Mr Kaadan, who previously operated on Brunswick St in Melbourne’s Fitzroy, said food outlets made the streets safer by counteracting drunkenness. A council spokesman said all applications are assessed “on merit”. But Mr Kaadan said all independent food businesses had to close at 2am – while McDonald’s down Corrimal St could trade all night.

Greens Councillor Mithra Cox said rules over opening times should be relaxed. “Shutting down the city to stop alcohol fuelled violence is like shutting down the roads to cut the road toll,” she said. “We need to find a way that our city can be safe - and open. A safe city is one that has people on the street, musicians in the bars, shops that are open late and restaurants that are full.”

Wollongong councillors unanimously supported a motion by Greens councillor Mithra Cox to investigate what they can do to address the growing problem of housing affordability in Wollongong. Councillor Cox asked other councillors if they were “okay with people sleeping in the sand dunes at City Beach because there are literally no other options for them”.

Among the measures they will consider is lobbying for Wollongong to be included on a state planning policy that allows councils to mandate a certain number of affordable homes within large developments.They will also look at whether developers could be encouraged to build affordable homes in exchange for the council waiving development fees or certain restrictions, and see if it would be possible for the council to build its own social housing on surplus council-owned land.

Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 6 April 2018

“Personally, I think where there is an opportunity to use an Aboriginal name or an opportunity to reflect on our wonderful Aboriginal heritage, that to me is the better way to go,” said the Lord Mayor.“There’s plenty of Aboriginal names around NSW that when you see them seem challenging, but it’s like Towradgi and Unanderra – locally people just get used to them and it becomes a reference point.”

Changes in Wollongong’s live music scene over the past five years have been held up as a shining example of how to revitalise an ailing inner-city nightlife. This high praise came from the Illawarra’s northern rival, Newcastle, which last week adopted a slew of measures based on policies put in place in Wollongong five years ago. Greens councillor Mithra Cox, who plays in a band, agreed the live music measures had made a difference, but believed more could be done to bring people out into Wollongong and its suburbs after dark.

A recent deal between Bisalloy Steels and Israel-based Rafael Defense Systems sparked a protest outside the Bisalloy office in Unanderra on Friday. Wollongong Greens Councillor Mithra Cox gave a brief speech before breaking into a Bob Dylan song in front of the crowd.

 “We want a steel industry that we can be proud of. We want our steel to be used for building homes, trains, bridges and schools - not for killing people,” she said.

“A generation ago, Wollongong workers refused to let our steel be sent to Japan for their war effort. Let’s uphold this fine tradition and stand against the military oppression of the Palestinian people.”

Statement of support from Greens Federal Senator Lee Rhiannon

Wollongong councillors stopped short of voting to tear down all structures at the Sandon Point tent embassy after vehement protest from members of the Aboriginal community. Greens councillor Mithra Cox questioned the right of councillors to make any decision over the future of an Aboriginal sacred place, suggesting that councillors instead vote so that tent embassy structures would not be removed without consultation with the five groups and SPATE members. The council agreed the council would help with the removal of any structures put in place since the end of 2016, and any other structures in consultation with the five Aboriginal groups who have responsibility for managing the site.

Read the speaking notes of Councillor Cox

Novelty races will be banned at school swimming carnivals in Wollongong for at least another year, after councillors voted to delay making any changes to its pool policy.

​Greens councillor Mithra Cox had hoped to convince her colleagues to drop some council restrictions on carnivals, including one which dictates that there is “no non-competitive swimming”.

Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 31 January 2018

A Wollongong City Council ban on non-competitive activities at school swimming carnivals means many kids “don’t even get wet” at the events, says Greens Councillor Mithra Cox. Next week Cr Cox will attempt to convince her colleagues to drop some council restrictions on carnivals, including one which dictates that there is “no non-competitive swimming”.

“For many children, the highlight of the carnival used to be the fun races at the end of the day - the tug of war, the boogie board races and the pool noodle challenge,” Cr Cox said. “But now fun races have been banned by Wollongong council, and students can only race in competitive races.”

Read the article by Kate McIlwain in The Illawarra Mercury, 22 January 2018

Wollongong Greens Councillor Mithra Cox has called on the council to include options for an “ethical purchasing policy” in considering tenders. Cr Cox this week told the Mercury that this would be to ensure council suppliers and sub-contractors would need to meet the same standards as WCC on human rights, environmental sustainability and workers’ rights.

“Council is one of the largest purchasers in the region – and should set the standards for ethical behaviour,” Cr Cox said.