Cr Docker said the motion that calls on council staff to review its Protocol for Homeless People in Public Places and look for ways to support frontline homelessness services was always planned to be put forward as soon as possible after he was elected.

"100 per cent - in Wollongong, we're beyond the housing crisis," Cr Docker said.

"We're starting to slip into a homelessness crisis. For me, I think the strength of a community is best judged by how they support the most vulnerable. That's why I was bringing this to the floor of council the first chance I got."

"One of the heads of the local providers told me recently that it's much easier for them to turn one of their dwellings into an Airbnb than it is to turn it into crisis and emergency accommodation," Cr Docker said.

"This isn't about big developers providing affordable housing or anything like that. These are about the services which are at the very acute end of this crisis.

"So it's just how can we bring those services online as quickly as possible once those applications hit the council's desk?"

"We need to throw everything we have at that and that includes bringing local government into the mix," he said.

"We need to use our imagination. We need to throw everything at this problem. Otherwise it would be far more costly to deal with down the track."

Cr Docker said he was confident the motion would have the full support of the councillors in this new term.

"Every single one of the councillors which have been elected care about their community and know about this crisis and I'm confident that this will pass," he said.

"I'm asking for a briefing. There's no budgetary impacts, there's no money being spent at the moment.

"This is asking for a briefing and sending a clear signal to staff that this is my intention and that we need a stronger focus in this area."

Story by Glen Humphries in the Illawarra Mercury, 24 October 2024.

Wollongong City Councillor Kit Docker will introduce a Notice of Motion on Monday 28 October urging council to explore support options for frontline homelessness services.

Senator Shoebridge declared Port Kembla to be in the cross hairs for a naval base and a naval waste dump site thanks to the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill 2024 which passed parliament on October 10.

"We're here because a fortnight ago, the Commonwealth Parliament in an ugly deal between Labor and the Coalition passed legislation that enables either this defense minister or the next Defence Minister to declare Port Kembla a naval nuclear facility, a naval base and a naval waste dump simply by regulation without having to speak to the council, without having to speak to traditional owners without having to speak to the community," Sen Shoebridge said.

"... with the flick of a pen make Port Kembla, a nuclear submarine base and a future coalition government has now been given the power to turn Port Kembla into a nuclear submarine base."

Story by Janine Graham in the Illawarra Mercury, 23 October 2024.

"The Greens had a strong showing with one candidate making it onto each ward, and the positions were rounded out with two independent candidates."

Story by Zoe Cartwright in Region Illawarra, 2 October 2024.

Greens' Ms Whittaker contacted Cr Brown on Saturday night to congratulate her on the Lord Mayoral win.

Ms Whittaker said she knew it would be a battle for the Greens to win, but on the figures so far, the party's Lord Mayoral vote has jumped from the 13 per cent in 2021.

"We're stoked," she said of the party's efforts.

"It was a very different election, with everything that went on. But we're really happy with how the campaign went.

"We left it all out there. We did as much as we could do to put a progressive vision to the community and we've gotten a bigger vote for the Greens than we've ever done before."

"It's really exciting," she said.

"We've got a great team in the Illawarra Greens and we all help each other. So I'm not scared because anything that seems hard, we collaborate on and work together to get through it.

"So it's not like I feel like I'm doing it alone. I'm looking forward to meeting people and getting to know all the local issues in depth and getting our policy platform implemented.

"I'm so excited for Deidre and for Ward 3," Ms Whittaker said.

"We've been trying to get a councillor in Ward 3 for almost a decade. It's awesome that people in Ward 3 will have the Greens down there now to represent them.

"Kit's gotten a good vote. So we're hopeful that comes through in pre-poll as well.

"Kit will be an amazing councillor. He's a young renter, he's got heaps of lived experience of how it can be hard for people to live in Wollongong and he's going to bring that to the table for young people and for renters."

Story by Glen Humphries in the Illawarra Mercury, 15 September 2024.

Jess Whittaker – The Greens

Jess is a paramedic and previously ran in the 2021 local government elections. She is a community representative on the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Plan Implementation Committee.

If elected, she wants to increase investment in footpaths, cycleways and pedestrian crossings, build dedicated youth spaces like skateparks and pump tracks, and revitalise the night-time economy with a position on the council for a Night-Time Mayor.

On Jess’s ticket are candidates Matin Cubby, Stephen Young and Kathryn Broadfoot.

To learn more about Jess and the other Greens members on her ticket, head to: https://www.illawarragreens.org.au/
Instagram – @jesswhitt.

Kit Docker – The Greens

Kit is a policy research assistant for Dr Amanda Cohn MP in NSW Parliament and a support worker for people with disabilities.

If elected, he wants to increase the affordable housing supply by placing fairer mandates on big property developers; increase and bring forward investments that improve accessibility for people living with mobility, including footpaths, pedestrian crossings and active transport solutions; and protect nature and wildlife by investing in initiatives that bring nature back into the city and suburbs.

The other candidates on Kit’s ticket are Harris Cheung, Ali Gerritsen and Theresa Huxtable.

To learn more about Kit, head to: https://www.illawarragreens.org.au/kit_docker_candidate_for_wollongong_city_council_ward_2

Find him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitdockergreens/

Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KitforWollongongcitycouncil/.

Dr Deidre Stuart – The Greens

Deirdre is a university mathematics support tutor, community climate activist and TAFE visual arts student.

She has previously undertaken contract research work for various local governments in environmental science and engineering contexts, as an academic at QUT and later as a senior environmental scientist with Opus International Consultants.

If elected, she will advocate for improved climate resilience for the city, including improved stormwater function, shadier streets and community batteries; safer, cheaper homes and improved community connectivity via a free public bus service for southern suburb and better footpaths, cycleways and public transport services; and work towards a circular economy.

The three other candidates on her ticket are Jamie Dixon, Elena Martinez and George Takacs.

To learn more about Dr Stuart or the other candidates on her ticket, head to:

www.linkedin.com/in/deidre-stuart-a45b5339

Instagram: @deidrestuart_au2500

https://www.illawarragreens.org.au/

Instagram: @illawarra_greens

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IllawarraGreens/

Story by Zoe Cartwright in Region Illawarra, 9 September 2024.

Greens Candidate for Ward 2 Kit Docker will work to establish a Disability Inclusion Advisory reference group on Wollongong City Council if elected in the September elections.

Greens candidate for Lord Mayor and Ward 1 Jess Whittaker welcomed the unique opportunity to elect progressive leaders who are committed to their community, action on the climate crisis and tackling the cost of housing.

Greens candidate for Ward 2 Kit Docker said there was much more room for nature in the city.

"There are new developments going up all around, IMB bank is a good example of it, that are clearly not fit for purpose and we need to champion much more ambitious goals in this space," he said.

Mr Docker said residents told him they were concerned about large developments across the city. "It's their concerns around how our city centre and suburbs are becoming more and more devoid of nature," he said.

"The evidence is abundantly clear that as cities become more urban and more dense there is a real risk of biodiversity loss and of increased flooding as the natural environment is removed for cement."

Now not in 20 years With Wollongong earmarked for increased density and urbanisation, Mr Docker says it is important we think about the future now.

"It's really important that we have a council which champions these initiatives now because otherwise in 20 years time, we're going to have come back and fix all the mistakes that we've made and that's going to be costly," he said.

"I really want to see it be a requirement of large developments and retrofit where we can because areas like out the front of IMB bank, they can't just be left to cement when there's so much room for nature."

Greens candidate for Lord Mayor Jess Whittaker said urban greening's benefits could come from just using native grass in unused parks and reserves.

"This initiative could result in substantial savings for council by decreasing the need for constant mowing and maintenance.

"Throughout the year, and particularly during the summer, the council incurs hundreds of thousands of dollars in mowing and maintenance costs.

"These costs could be significantly reduced by reintroducing native grasses in targeted locations, which are more suited to our climate."

Story by Joel Ehsman in the Illawarra Mercury, 7 August 2024.

Greens Candidate for Ward 2 Kit Docker will work to embrace more ambitious urban greening initiatives in our villages across Wollongong.