Our pledge: politics for the people, not private interests

The Illawarra Greens have today announced their candidates for the state and federal elections, with an industrial engineer, 2 university professionals, an economics student and a shearer set to represent the party.

“We have an incredible team of candidates here and I know each one of them will be standing up for the Illawarra. For too long corporate interests and corporate money have too much influence over how decisions are made, while the community misses out,” Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi said today.

“The big end of town has infected politics and skewed decision making away from the best interests of our community.  Why else are we still waiting for a serious climate policy when everyone knows this is the most serious challenge of our generation,” Kaye Osborn, candidate for Keira said.

“As an engineer, I know that we have the technical capacity to reduce climate change impacts o our land and water.  What we don’t have is the political will.  Renewable energy is rapidly replacing fossil fuel power, but the transition is being slowed by out of touch politicians who are far too cosy with the coal industry,” said Rowan Huxtable, candidate for Wollongong.

“Everyone in our community deserves the opportunity to live a good life. To have a home, a job, an education.  Health care in times of need. Instead of providing for everyone, the major parties have let the gap between rich and poor get wider.  That’s not economic management, that’s economic injustice,” said Mitchell Shakespeare, candidate for Heathcote.

“Well resourced public education is the key to raising people out of poverty and allowing them to reach their potential.  Education should be free, and equally accessible to everyone; regardless of where you are geographically, economically, or socially. Successful educational outcomes start with quality early childhood education and care,” said Jamie Dixon, candidate for the state seat of Shellharbour and the Federal seat of Whitlam.

“We live in a city of a quarter of a million people.  And yet we have a train that runs just once an hour or every 2 hours on weekends.  It’s simply not good enough in the 21st century.  Wollongong deserves a decent public transport network, including fast and frequent trains.  It’s not enough to replace a few carriages, we will be campaigning for a proper 21st century public transport network,” said Ben Arcioni, candidate for Wollongong.

High-res Images of Candidates

More information:

Mithra Cox (Illawarra Greens) 0425 351 844

Matt Hilton (Senator Faruqi) 0423 106 247

MEDIA RELEASE - Record penalty for Illawarra Pokies Club raises questions about NSW Coalition's Deal with Clubs NSW 

Friday 5 October 2018 - Greens MLC Justin Field is the Greens spokesperson on gambling.

WHAT: Greens candidate for Ward 3, Jamie Dixon calling on Council to stem tot flow of plastic onto Port Kembla beach
WHEN: 9am, Friday 28 September
WHERE: Port Kembla Beach, near the large drain behind Port Kembla pool

Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey has welcomed the NSW Government proposal for improved marine protection around the Five Islands and will seek formal endorsement of the plan by council on Monday, 3 September. 

Media Release: 11 December 2017

Students and the local community, with the support of the Greens NSW, will rally at the University of Wollongong to demand Chloe Rafferty be declared the democratically elected president of Wollongong University's Student Association. To date the University administration has blocked Ms Rafferty from taking up her rightful position.

Greens NSW MP David Shoebridge, Student leaders from other campuses and Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon will be attending the rally with Chloe Rafferty and supporters at 1pm on the 18th of December to call for the University to accept the results of the student union elections.

MEDIA RELEASE: Monday 4th Dec 2017

The Greens have proposed an ambitious plan for Wollongong Council that  over the next 30 years would transform our city into a bike friendly city to rival Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

Wollongong Greens Councillor Mithra Cox has put a notice of motion for consideration at the next Council meeting on December 11.  Under this plan, Council would develop a 30-year plan that would include every road having a dedicated cycleway that is physically separated from traffic by 2050.

MEDIA RELEASE 22 November 2017

Labor and Liberal plan for more roads in northern suburbs will increase traffic

The Greens Councillors on Wollongong Council have criticised plans by Labor and Liberal Councillors to build more roads in Wollongong's northern suburbs, saying congestion will increase with more roads.

Funding cuts to National Parks have become so extreme that they are starting to have an impact on Wollongong residents, Wollongong's  Greens Councillors  have said on the eve of a rally in Wollongong to increase National Parks funding.

"Residents in Austinmer are being parked out because of the huge volume of walkers using the Sublime Point track," said Mithra Cox, Greens Ward 1 councillor. "There are dozens of other amazing bushwalks in the Illawarra escarpment, but there are no maps, no signposts and the tracks are not properly maintained."

The Westconnex tunnel project plans to bring all its excavated material to Port Kembla. The spoil from this controversial tunnel is expected to be produced at up to 9,000 tonnes of rock per day.

Shifting this rock could cause a lot of damage to our area. Do we want this to happen? Greens NSW Environment, Roads and Freight Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, says, “The Illawarra shouldn’t be the dumping ground, whether by train or by truck, for the problems being created by the WestConnex."

Mithra Cox, The Greens Mayoral candidate has released a photo essay of children walking in dangerous situations because the council has not invested in the pedestrian infrastructure to keep them safe.  Most of these kids are just walking to their local school.

NSW Greens MP, Dr Mehreen Faruqi visited Wollongong today to join Wollongong Greens Council candidates calling for the free 'gong shuttle' bus service to be expanded to have more frequent services, and to include Wollongong's disadvantaged southern suburbs.

All Greens candidates in the Wollongong Council Election will be voting YES in the postal survey on marriage equality, if it goes ahead. The Greens consistently stand for equality. Any two adults who want to marry should be able to do so.

Meet the Greens candidates for Wollongong in the Council Election, and hear our vision for Wollongong.

Council Campaign Video

The Greens Lord Mayoral Candidate for Wollongong, Mithra Cox today unveiled a plan to establish a $400,000 fund for interest free loans to be made available for people on low incomes to buy rooftop solar.

The Greens candidates for Wollongong Council want to see stormwater slowed down so that it does not flood properties, cause erosion, or dump sediment in the lake or the ocean. Stormwater should be collected at construction sites, on rooves, and beside roads. It can then be used in yards and gardens, or be allowed to settle before a slower release to the drains.

The Illawarra Greens are shining a spotlight on plastic pollution in the Wollongong Council election campaign and want to work with the community to create a "Plastic Free Wollongong."

Greens lead candidate in Ward 3 Jamie Dixon said "We see first hand in Lake Illawarra and along the coastline the impact of plastic pollution in terms of litter but it is also having a devastating impact on birdlife and marine animals.

The Greens have called for a shared pathway to be built from Montague St, North Wollongong, linking to Virginia Ave, as a symbolic first step in linking up Wollongong's very patchy bike paths. 

The Greens have vowed to fight the proposed Russell Vale Mine expansion, after Wollongong Coal held a small consultation in Corrimal last night, Illawarra Greens spokesperson and Mayoral candidate Mithra Cox said today.

"The age of coal is over. Wollongong Coal needs to pay its debts to our community and move on," Ms Cox said today.