Get to know Jess Whittaker, the Greens’ candidate for Lord Mayor of Wollongong. Photo: Jess Whittaker.
Port Kembla paramedic Jess Whittaker is ready to make her second tilt at a spot on Wollongong City Council, and has been nominated as the Greens’ candidate for Lord Mayor.
Her first run, in 2021, was unsuccessful, but with longstanding Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery stepping down from his Ward 3 spot this year, she’s hopeful that her 2024 campaign will be more fruitful.
The mother-of-two said she was keen to explore ways the council could ease cost-of-living pressures, from providing sports and entertainment options for young people to chipping away at the housing crisis.
“I really want to see our city reach its full potential, and for our children and grandchildren to be able to stay in the city we all love and value,” she said.
“When there is upzoning, I think we can get a better deal from developers with affordable housing in new developments, and those projects can make a really big difference in people’s lives.
“The Greens’ policy is to see if there’s any council land available for affordable housing projects in partnership with not-for-profits like the Housing Trust.
“Building more community gardens and fun things for young people to do, like skate parks and pump tracks, really helps with cost-of-living pressures too – having things you can do for free makes a massive difference to the family budget.”
Jess grew up in Bulli, studied science at the University of Wollongong and has been a paramedic for the past 15 years.
In her spare time, she runs a Dune Care group and the Port Kembla Crop Swap.
Jess said one of the strengths of the current council was the diversity of backgrounds and opinions, and she hoped the next council had the same level of representation.
“No one party has a bloc, so they’ve had to work together, that’s made it collegial and collaborative, and they’ve got some really good outcomes,” she said.
“We’ve had great events, FOGO implemented, more investment in cycleways, and the footpath budget doubled.
“If one party has a deciding vote on all decisions, I think that would be a very different Wollongong and it does concern me if that’s the make-up of the next council.
“Sometimes to have that you have to step up and do it instead of sitting back and complaining, so I’m going to go for it and put myself out there.”
Long term, Jess said she wanted to push the council to do all it could to fight climate change and take better care of our natural environment.
She said it was more important than ever that councils looked at ways to make their communities more resilient in the face of climate disasters.
“I think there is a lot we can do,” she said.
“Small actions can have a big positive impact – I would love to see our creeks cleared up and the escarpment better managed, it’s an undervalued asset.
“I want to see us realise all the benefits of renewable energy and be on a better path to a stable climate, with all the jobs and community benefit schemes that come from renewable energy.”
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