NSW Election 2019: Meet the candidates for Wollongong
Seven candidates will fight for the seat of Wollongong at the upcoming election, which has been held by Labor for almost three decades.
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Wollongong has normally been a Labor Party heartland, but back in 1980, the party’s leadership slipped to an independent. In 1991, Labor won back control, and have retained the seat ever since.
Labor’s Paul Scully has held the seat since 2016 and will be up against six candidates in Wollongong at this weekend’s upcoming election. Before we head to the ballot box, each candidate has taken the time to tell you a bit about themselves and what they’ll do if elected.
LABOR: PAUL SCULLY
Paul has been the Member for Wollongong since November 2016. He is third generation local and was born at Wollongong Hospital. Paul has degrees in economics and management and has worked in a range of careers, including as the Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus. Prior to this he was a Ministerial Chief of Staff in the Federal Government and an adviser to a NSW Government Minister. Paul understands how government, the bureaucracy and parliament works.
Top priorities in the Wollongong electorate
1. Finally build the Unanderra Station lifts
2. Deliver the $225 million Illawarra Jobs Action Plan
3. Invest in better health care at Wollongong Hospital
Our fully-costed $225 million Illawarra Jobs Action Plan makes sure we tackle our most pressing problems: finally building Unanderra Station lifts, progressing completion of the Maldon-Dombarton rail link, upgrading Wollongong Entertainment Centre; upgrade Appin Road; using more local steel and relocating up to 200 jobs from Liquor and Gaming NSW to Wollongong from Sydney. Together these initiatives will support thousands more local jobs. NSW Labor will upgrade public transport along the South Coast rail line to improve travel times. We’ll upgrade the Wollongong Hospital maternity unit, its children’s ward and establish an independent inquiry into the Illawarra’s future health care needs.
SUSTAINABLE AUSTRALIA: ANDREW ANTHONY
I grew up in Wollongong and developed a great love of our natural environment. While attending Figtree High, I remember learning about The Greenhouse Effect, deforestation, species extinction and how economic growth was mostly dependent on population growth. Things didn’t seem right to me back then and sadly 25 years on it appears we’ve made slow progress tackling these issues.
I am passionate about safeguarding against overdevelopment, especially along our foreshores and in the foothills of the Illawarra escarpment. I want to tackle climate change by supporting the uptake of renewable energy and teaching people about sustainable living to ensure future generations will be able appreciate the world in the same way we do.
I enjoy bushwalking, cycling, photography, electronics, classical music, watching TV Sci-Fi and spending time with my wife and two-year-old son.
I was elected to Wollongong City Council in 2004 and I was an avid supporter of council’s Bushcare and Environmental Sustainability projects. I fought against inappropriate development and I called for a ban on political donations to reduce the risk of corruption and undue influence. I helped expose the cosy relationships that had formed between developers, councillors and planning staff which eventually lead to the ICAC inquiry.
Top priorities in the Wollongong electorate
1. Improvements to our public transport system including lifts at Unanderra station.
2. Support Wollongong and Shellharbour councils in the management of Lake Illawarra.
3. Build a can and bottle recycling centre in Wollongong rather than sending our waste overseas.
THE GREENS: BENJAMIN ARCIONI
I was born and raised in the Illawarra, as the third child of two Italian Australian parents who taught at local Catholic schools. I attended St Francis Xavier’s primary, Smiths Hill High School, and the University of Wollongong, which I have returned to as a tutor and PhD student. In the past I have worked in a number of fields: finance administration, credit control, hospitality, commercial real estate, mental health education, and humanitarian services on Nauru at the detention centre with the Salvation Army.
I am currently Vice President of the UOW Young Greens, and am working on increasing the Greens presence on campus.
I care about building a better future for all of us.
We have the technology to move to renewable energy sources now, and there is a great future for solar, wind and water power here in the Illawarra. Financial support from State and Federal governments will ensure that the transition away from coal does not harm
those now working in the industry.
Top priorities in the Wollongong electorate
1. Eliminate single use plastics
2. Convert to 100 per cent renewable energy
3. Free University and TAFE education
LIBERAL: ZACHARY FITZPATRICK
I have always believed in giving back to my community, and have been actively involved with Rotary and Rotaract community groups and if elected I plan on using this passion to fight to ensure local communities get their fair share of the NSW Liberals’ strong economy.
If elected, I will fight to upgrade local roads and public transport, improve health facilities and clear the maintenance backlog in our local schools so Wollongong families can rest assured their children are receiving a world-class education in world-class schools.
Top priorities in the Wollongong electorate
1. Delivering cost of living support, like our Active Kids Rebate and our energy rebates, so there is more money in your pocket at the end of the week.
2. Building new roads and rail lines and delivering more trains and buses, so that you can spend less time commuting and more time doing the things that matter.
3. More police, more doctors and more nurses for our community so Wollongong families can rest easy knowing there is help at hand in the case of an emergency.
INDEPENDENT: NIKOLA NASTOSKI
Born and raised in the Wollongong region. I am a Port Kembla local who went to Warrawong Public School, then Warrawong High School before graduating with a degree in IT from the University of Wollongong.
I spent the last two and a half years working in a graduate position for Google, and I am now undertaking a postgraduate degree at the University of Wollongong with the ambitions of completing a PhD afterwards.
Top priorities in the Wollongong electorate
Complacent is a word that should never be used to describe any form of government. Unfortunately it explains our current parties position perfectly. I want to be a catalyst for change. The residents of the greater Wollongong region are no longer content with cookie-cutter policies trickling down to us from the current party in power, while we constantly hear excuses on why projects haven’t been funded due to the “opposition” being in power. I will put Wollongong first and actually fight for the funding we deserve, regardless of which party is in power. Let’s make a change.
1. Putting Wollongong first
2. Rail infrastructure and amenities
3. TAFE Funding
KEEP SYDNEY OPEN: JAMES HEHIR
After growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney, I now enjoy the coastal life in Bulli. I have three children Kaitlyn, 12, Jake, 10 and Max, 9 months old. I’ve been a small-business owner for the past 17 years specialising in race car fabrication.
I love spending time with my family — at the beach, in the bush, out in the city for family dinners and live music events and festivals, enjoying everything that a vibrant and creative community offers.
I feel passionate about Keep Sydney Open because I want young people to enjoy opportunities and experiences that open, safe and fair cities offer, which have been the foundation of my life forming my personality, relationships, and business opportunities. I believe overregulation of industries and night life have stifled people’s opportunity and creativity, they have stifled our community and have had a massive economic cost. I want to see an end to the nanny state.
Top priorities in the Wollongong electorate
1. Clean up NSW’s politics: corruption, lobbying and donations reform. Work towards transparency in government decisions, i.e. make business cases for large scale infrastructure projects available to the public.
2. Liveability and our Environment: Decongest our roads with an emphasis on public transport and intelligent community-centred town planning. Reduce our waste in innovative ways.
3. Tear up the Nanny State and restore civil liberties: Cut off the state’s dependence on revenue raising infringements and move away from punitive policing towards community policing where officers would be assigned to specific areas to become familiar with locals.
ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY: BENJAMIN BANK
Ben is standing in the seat of Wollongong because he wants to live in a world where all earthlings are treated with kindness. He has been a vegan for eight years, activist for over four, and an organiser for Anonymous for the Voiceless for over a year. He is passionate about assisting those within our community who are in need and lives his daily life around the four values of the Animal Justice Party: kindness, nonviolence, rationality and equality. He hopes that by being elected by the Wollongong community he can create positive change within the region for a more sustainable and compassionate society for humans and animals.
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