Shoalhaven Council mayor Amanda Findley hopes to bring a grassroots Greens’ party voice to NSW parliament

For more than a decade, the Shoalhaven region has been wracked with annual natural disasters, from floods to fires. It’s mayor is hoping a tilt to state politics will help the region be better prepared.

Shoalhaven City Council mayor Amanda Findley is hoping to bring a grassroots Greens’ voice to NSW parliament next year, after unveiling plans to contest the South Coast seat in the 2023 state election.

After 14 years on local council, Ms Findley believes more action is needed from state leaders as the region faces multiple wide-reaching issues, from a critical housing shortage to disaster recovery.

“We’ve got some really big problems in the Shoalhaven,” Ms Findley said. “Over the past five years, we’ve had increasing issues around housing affordability. And yet, the homeless shelter had to shut just this week because there is no state or federal funding to keep it open.

“The councils is stuck just filling in endless reams of paperwork to receive any money. The system is broken.”

While she now resides in the historic town of Milton, north of Ulladulla, Ms Findley’s mayoral journey began not in Milton or the wider Shoalhaven, but in Belfast.

After emigrating to the region from Northern Ireland more than 25 years ago, Ms Findley said she fell in love with the area – and one of its inhabitants – and decided to stay.

Shoalhaven City Council mayor Amanda Findley during a presentation at the Illawarra Academy of Sport in Nowra. Picture: Supplied

But, after witnessing increasing overdevelopment in the Shoalhaven region in the early 2000s, she decided to pursue a career in local politics. Six years on, she joined The Greens as the party’s lone council member.

“For eight years I was the only Greens member on council,” she said. “Then, in 2016 the community became cheesed-off with what they were getting. They voted me in as popularly elected mayor, along with three other members of The Greens.”

At the time, Ms Findley said the council was stricken with misogyny.

And, while she was mayor, she still did not have a majority.

“It was a very male dominated space,” she said. “It was quite clear that some people were quite determined to have an impact on my mental health. But, I’m from Belfast. I was born with a shovel-full of resilience. They picked the wrong person.”

Change again swept the council in 2021 following an extended five year term, protracted by Covid. Ms Findley was re-elected as mayor, alongside a “progressive” majority alliance with Labor councillors.

“It was very, very clear to the public the alliance we were in,” Ms Findley said. “I’ve always been honest about my affiliations.

“We wanted to be in a position where we had the votes to turn things around and deliver what the community wanted. The Shoalhaven is a beautiful place, people want it to be protected.”

While Ms Findley said the culture of misogyny was gone, she still faced challenges.

In recent weeks, Shoalhaven Council has debated a number of issues including a push to ban native forest logging and calls for a state-backed plan for affordable housing.

Shoalhaven City Council mayor Amanda Findley on a Navy helicopter following the Black Summer bushfires. Picture: Supplied

Despite her majority, Ms Findley failed to secure enough votes for those motions.

She has also publicly clashed with Kiama MP Gareth Ward, who told The South Coast News earlier this year he had been denied entry to the council chambers during a session discussing the Jervis Bay bypass.

Ms Findley’s forthcoming tilt to state politics would possibly see her work alongside Mr Ward, who shows no signs of stepping aside despite ongoing criminal proceedings. It also comes at a pivotal time.

The South Coast seat is currently held by longstanding Liberal member, Shelley Hancock, who took over the role more than 17 years ago. She announced late last year she would not be contesting the seat in 2023.

Over her tenure, the Shoalhaven LGA – from Durras to Kiama – has faced annual natural disaster events, from the Black Summer bushfires to recent flooding and widespread infrastructure damage.

In March, the tourist town of Kangaroo Valley was completely severed from the outside world for weeks by an east coast low. Road access to the Southern Highlands was only restored in recent months.

“The Shoalhaven is a test case for the effects of climate change,” Ms Findley said. “We’re in the top 10 LGAs in NSW when it comes to wildfire impacts.

“Its imperative we do something, but its also imperative we work hard as a state and a community. We need to be resilient, we need to be able to bounce back and be ready for the future.”