Wollongong resident, Courtney Fraser’s phone lights up with photos shared by friends from a birthday dinner she was meant to attend. The photographs show cocktails, laughter, and the kind of warm, low-stakes joy that has become rare in her life. Instead of clinking glasses, she is folding jeans under harsh, fluorescent lights at her second job in a Shellharbour retail store. Ms Fraser works full-time in allied health and part-time in retail, and often clocks up to sixty-five hours in a single week. Her weekday shifts start as early as 7:30 in the morning and sometimes stretch into overnight emergency…
Author: Binaya Dahal
The ALP’s Alison Byrnes has retained her seat in the electorate of Cunningham against challengers Amanda Ivaneza from the Liberals, and Jess Whittaker from the Greens, in the federal election held on May 3. Labor has solidified its dominance across Wollongong’s inner suburbs, while support for the Liberal and Greens has eroded. UOW’s Professor of International and Comparative Law, Markus Wagner said the results in Wollongong’s surrounding suburbs are consistent with national trends and grounded in the region’s socioeconomic history. “The margins in Wollongong are pretty much the same margins we’re seeing throughout the country,” Prof Wagner said. “The seat…
The Wollongong mining sector has experienced a decline in worker productivity over the past decade compared to the state and national average, according to new data from the Wollongong City Council. In 2012-13, productivity per worker in Wollongong was $723,005, while NSW recorded $786,342, and Australia as a whole reached $898,672 . Over the next few years, all three regions experienced steady growth. By 2014-15, Wollongong’s productivity had increased to $829,391, NSW to $972,987, and Australia to AU $1,157,509. However, the upward trend started to slow after 2014-15. In 2015-16, Wollongong’s productivity per worker dropped slightly to $772,032, while NSW…
Wollongong’s GST registered business has seen notable fluctuations in new registrations and cancellations over the past decade, according to data from the Australian Business Register. A GST-registered business is authorised by the government to collect and remit a 10 per cent goods and services tax (GST) on sales. Business Illawarra director Coralie McCarthy said the cancellations of GST registered businesses might have to do more with government red tapes. “Business Illawarra and Business New South Wales has long been advocating for tax reform and reduction of red tapes,” she said. “It’s one of the most common thing we hear with…
Alcohol and tobacco consumption in Wollongong has declined steadily in the past decade, following broader trends across New South Wales and Australia, according to data from Wollongong City Council. In the 2014-15 financial year, Wollongong residents spent an average of $6,329 per household on alcoholic beverages and tobacco, slightly lower than the state ($6,785) and national averages ($6,655). By 2022-23 the amount had dropped significantly to $4,386, a decline of 30.7 per cent. This reduction reflects consumption across the state which decreased from $6,785 to $5,023 over the same period, and Australia, which witnessed a fall from $6,655 to $4,487.…
Cath Blakey was resting in the hospital bed in Canberra, suffering from pregnancy complications. She was dealing with pre-eclampsia, a condition which increases the blood pressure that can lead to serious, even fatal conditions for both mother and baby. Meanwhile in Wollongong, the council was set to debate on the FOGO (Food Organics, Garden Organics) service, a motion that Blakey placed, and passionately championed. As a waste educator, she understood that implementing the FOGO plan would bring significant positive changes: reducing landfill pressure, decreasing greenhouse emissions, and enhancing food waste recycling through composting. In her absence, Jess Whitaker presented the…
Illawarra ‘Yes’ campaigners have expressed disappointment and claim the chances of First Nation People achieving constitutional recognition is over, after the proposal to enshrine the Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution was rejected. The referendum held on Saturday was defeated after the majority of Australians from all six states plus the Northern territory voted against the Voice. Prominent Illawarra ‘Yes’ campaigner John Corker said “referendums are notoriously difficult to get approved,” and also the ‘No’ campaigners spread misinformation that made it harder for people to understand. “The main thing is that it was not supported by the opposition and…
The majority of Australians have decisively rejected a referendum proposal to alter and enshrine an “Indigenous voice to parliament” provision in the Australian Constitution. The referendum, which needed majority of votes in a majority of states to succeed, was defeated as at least five states voted No. Had the ‘Voice’ succeeded, aboriginal people would have been recognised as Australia’s original inhabitants – correcting the claim Australia was nobody’s land when Captain James Cook landed in 1770. Addressing the rejection of the Voice in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he stood for his decision to hold referendum and the result…
The CSIRO has granted the University of Wollongong $500,000 to help more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students pursue a degree in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The CSIRO Indigenous STEM scholarship will award one UOW Indigenous student $5,000 per year throughout their degree. The collaboration is part of a wider commitment by the CSIRO to foster Indigenous talent. The agency has provided over $5 million worth of scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students so far this year. In a statement, UOW Vice-Chancellor Prof. Patricia M. Davidson said the partnership between the University and the CSIRO would…
Following its operations in Dubai, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, the University of Wollongong (UOW) is set to commence its presence in India from 2024, making it one of the first institutions to provide foreign degrees on Indian soil. UOW unveiled its Indian identity at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gandhinagar, on Tuesday, in the presence of UOW’s global brand ambassador and renowned cricketer Adam Gilchrist, as well as the university’s vice chancellor and president Prof. Patricia M. Davidson. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Davidson said she was excited to see what this cooperation brings. “India is an important partner for UOW,…