Journalist Brian Kelly interviews David Brown, a Labor councillor for Ward 2, which covers the central part of Wollongong, including the city centre
In a pinch, David Brown was the go-to guy in his Wollongong High School rugby league team. Skinny as all get-up and the fastest runner over 50 yards, a teammate recalled.
“Our team played exclusively in our own half. ‘Give it to Brownie’ was our only attacking strategy as nobody else could run to the tryline,” the source said.
Times have changed, but as one of Wollongong’s most experienced councillors, Brown is unlikely to drop the ball. He still misses the Illawarra Steelers (“14 years without a loss!”) and even couches his Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) experience in footy terms.
He was all set to “come off the bench” and give evidence (for ICAC) but was not called up.
Several Labor councillors were embroiled in the infamous sex-for-development scandal which began in 2006 and during which ICAC investigations uncovered “a culture of corruption” at the council.
The ICAC episode more than a decade ago was a challenging one for Brown, who along with Janice Kershaw, was the only ALP councillor returned, having faced ongoing innuendo while trying to win back community faith.
“It was terrible,” he said. “People assumed things. I didn’t know anything about it. I think I was the only person who actually wanted to get before ICAC to state my case!
“After that, we [as councillors] knew we had to cooperate to bring the community back on board. We’re amazingly collegiate now – have been for the past decade. People from outside the area want to come and work here; they know that we’re trying to work together.
“Sometimes there’ll be a few strident debates on things but, where possible, we meet in the middle. If someone comes up with a good idea, you don’t block it just because they moved it.”
So is there a place for party politics at council level? “The voters think so,” says Brown, pointing out the last council had two independents as opposed to one this time.
“Everyone has a political view of the world,” he says. “There’s politics in your local stamp club.”
Brown says council changed its political dynamics after the dismissal of 2008. Whereas beforehand, it was usually half a dozen Labor councillors and the rest independent, both Liberals and Greens gained representation afterward.
Helping create a community centre in the CBD is on his radar – to bring together disparate groups in modern, better facilities, as has been achieved in Dapto, Corrimal and Thirroul centres.
When it comes to high-rise, elevating the city’s skyline is a necessary part of growth, Brown says. “Wollongong grows at roughly the national average – slightly under 1 per cent – so that’s 2200 people we have to find homes for this year, next year and after that.
“My reading is that people don’t want flats for no good reason in the suburbs; they’re quite happy to see it in the CBD where you should have big buildings.”
Brown had a shot at the mayor’s job two terms ago and came second, answering “Not really’’ when asked if further ambition lies in that chair.
A media consultant/editor who worked as an advisor for former federal Speaker of the House Steve Martin in the ‘90s after journalism stints at the Illawarra Mercury and in England, he likes to get to a few Dragons rugby league games and Illawarra Hawks basketball matches when he’s not chasing fish off Coniston Beach.
Q&A with Cr David Brown
Which accomplishment as a councillor has brought the most satisfaction?
Helping to rebuild community trust in council following the dismissal. Establishing a culture of respect and cooperation among the elected councillors and staff was critical to set the organisation on the right direction and within a few years surveyed community satisfaction in council had reached record levels.
On a policy front, the work to frame the Wollongong as the regional capital and to foster thinking the centre of the centre of the LGA as a city has been challenging but rewarding – the place has growing diversity and vibrancy.
Which council ambition/project was your “one that got away”?
Not partnering with the university to build an arts centre in the Botanic Gardens site.
How often do you attend neighbourhood forums?
NH5 is not meeting due to COVID. I meet with the exec from time to time and they send me minutes and agenda for their virtual deliberations.
Where should council's priorities lie over the next term, and then 5 to 10 years?
Shifting more infrastructure delivery to the suburbs of basic infrastructure such as footpaths and shared paths.
The city centre needs (5-10 years) a major new community centre facility to combine and replace dispersed assets and to accommodate the growing CBD population.
How has the cost-of-living squeeze been affecting you?
Probably eating out and going to entertainment a less.
What's your favourite Illawarra beach and why?
The south end of Coniston Beach. Because I go beach fishing there.
