Journalist Brian Kelly interviews Elisha Aitken, a Liberal councillor for Ward 3, which covers the southern part of Wollongong
Elisha Aitken was washing dishes one night in August 1998 in Figtree, biblical rains teeming in the dark, when she and her housemates heard a banging sound. The noise was made by floating logs knocking against her car.
“The water was over the dashboard – there was nothing we could do,” said Aitken, then a resident near the hilly Koloona Ave. “It was just an old second-hand Camry, but it was my car!”
As someone who grew up in occasionally soggy Forbes, Aitken knows how being inundated with water affects a community.
“It was one of the biggest challenges for my parents’ business because there are regular floods there – a 10 or 15-year cycle. Any impact on the operations of those sorts of businesses can be the death knell,” she said, recalling a two-week hiatus her family’s service station went through in 1991 that nearly stopped it functioning.
Growing up in that environment showed Aitken the connection between business and community at a fundamental level.
“Businesses would sponsor sporting clubs … that’s where a lot of funding would come for your little NRL or cricket club,” she said. “And not just monetary donations but manning the barbecues and getting hands on.”
Since moving to Wollongong in the mid-90s to pursue a metallurgy cadetship, Aitken has moulded an impressive career that has included 21 years at BlueScope and work in areas such as project management, materials, supply chain optimisation and demand planning.
Does she consider herself an organised person? “Yes, but then I have a background in planning and scheduling!” Then there’s her Master of Science in logistics. “But you need to be – I have a full-time job, and a lot of our evenings are taken up with briefings and community forums. I have two nieces and a nephew in Kiama I try to get down to see often.”
If the Liberal Party has a “women problem”, it’s lost on Aitken, who has never encountered any gender discrimination at multiple levels in party dealings.
“I’ve never had any issues – they’ve always been welcoming,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed state conferences, and the debate and the civility of it; there has never been any exclusion.”
Encountering compromised driving conditions on the five-hour trip to Forbes to see her parents brings issues of road maintenance to mind for Aitken, who now knows about what it takes to manage asphalt surfaces.
“There are whole sections of road that just got washed away,” she said. “I’ve never seen it like that. One of things people don’t realise about council is they have their own budgets for their own sections of repair; then there’s the bigger projects about expanding into, say, West Dapto, which is a lot of state government money.”
Improving sporting field facilities heads Aitken’s list of things to get done – and there’s a connection to her being on council’s flood committee.
“There’s been a massive increase in participation – a lot more women are getting into sports. You’ve only got so many sports fields, and maybe five different codes who want time on them,” she said.
“Plus all the rain we’ve had. Sporting groups have lost so much time on them – we have to find new ways to drain these fields.
“The floods committee has been great learning – in the time I’ve lived here, I’ve seen a massive improvement in terms of how council keeps creeks clear, for example.”
At a recent vote over the controversial Illawarra wind farm zone, Aitken was the sole councillor opposed to the proposal.
“There is a wealth of information regarding the impacts and economic viability of these turbines in other parts of the world, much of which seems to be bad – how about we learn from these mistakes,” she said.
“If we must change our energy generation then we need to work hard to select only those alternatives that lead us to better outcomes for our environment, communities, and our businesses. Switching to renewables should not be progressed regardless of the cost to our environment and region.”
Q&A with Elisha Aitken
Which accomplishment as a councillor has brought you the most satisfaction?
Being new it's been immensely satisfying to be able to advocate for many of the unexpected arisings that the community finds itself confronting. Things like backed-up bridges during rain events, contaminated land being raked over and stirred up, helping the community engage more effectively with council. I've been working on the some bigger items that are still to come to fruition but seem like they're most of the way there. I won't celebrate until I've gotten them over the line.
Which council ambition/project was your 'one that got away'?
I haven't had one yet that I can think of.
How often do you attend neighbourhood forums?
I try to attend each monthly neighbourhood forum for Ward 3 – Forums 7 and 8.
Where should council's priorities lie over the next five years?
Ensuring that whatever growth is happening in the region, it remains liveable. That people can get around, the roads still flow and there is parking. Council can't influence all factors that go into this such as state legislation, trains and state and federal roads. What they can do is focus on policies and plans and make sure movement is maximised.
It needs to be acknowledged that council has already done a power of work to minimise costs in a very challenging environment of soaring supply costs and material and labour shortages. It will certainly remain a challenge for the next few years and affects everything from park amenities to road repair.
Everyone is feeling the rising cost of living this year – how has this affected you?
My mortgage has felt the biggest impact. I've tried to cut back on everything – no more Uber Eats, and I've gotten rid of subscriptions such as Austar. I've not replaced items as they've worn out. I've cut my food bill by buying fresh fruit and vegetables only every three weeks and choosing to buy vegetables that last longer or cooking large batches that I freeze.
What's your favourite Illawarra beach and why?
Port Kembla beach is big and beautiful. I love the surrounding greenery and the big long stretch of sand and greenery heading south.
