At Wollongong City Council's meeting on Monday, September 18, Councillor Tania Brown was re-elected as Deputy Lord Mayor. She will remain in the role until the next general local government election in NSW in September 2024.
Tania is a Labor councillor for Ward 2, which covers the central part of Wollongong.
Want to know more about our deputy mayor?
Journalist Brian Kelly interviewed Tania for the following article in the Flame's May edition.
Chuckles come easily when Tania Brown describes the moment her dream career burst like a balloon.
“I wanted to become an actress but was dissuaded pretty quickly – the careers counsellor assured me I was not a triple-threat!” laughs Wollongong’s deputy mayor, who had clearly enjoyed being in the chorus in a Gilbert and Sullivan show at school.
If treading the boards was not to be, Brown has in any case filled many roles on many stages, including wife at 19, mother of two, bank worker, English/history major, aspiring teacher, government relations worker at Wollongong University and Wollongong councillor since 2017.
Chatting in a cafe in the 200m between her home and her old high school, Brown also recalls the 14 years she spent working for politicians. Was this a launching pad for her own aspirations?
“No, it was just about helping people,” she says. “When people come into an electoral office, it’s because they’re desperate – they’ve battled bureaucracy and are at their wit’s end. Knowing you can help them in that intermediary role …
I found really fulfilling.”
Having joined the ALP at 18 in her home suburb of Unanderra, Brown’s politics were never going to surprise given that her father, a plumber/builder, had been in Young Labor with the likes of Paul Keating and Laurie Brereton in the early 60s. Running for lord mayor at the last election (and she would stand again, depending on ALP selection machinations) brought home an odd realisation of voter expectations.
“I had someone ride past me at Towradgi and say ‘Go, Tania! Whip ScoMo’s arse’, and I thought ‘I’m not running for prime minister’,” she says.
“A lot of people don’t get the difference – they just think ‘You’re a politician – fix it’.”
Of frustrations civic decision-makers face, complaints of over-development around the city can irk Brown. “Are we a village or are we a city? We have to start looking like a city. We read all the time about ‘Save my village’ and ‘Save my suburb’ but my kids need somewhere to live, and they need a range of options.
“If you want to protect your suburbs, you have to allow density somewhere – and we’re not talking 70 floors or the Gold Coast, but we are growing up as a city, and I think that’s good.
“I do get frustrated at people in Corrimal who don’t want more than four storeys – I think four storeys is pretty reasonable – around a train station, around shops. I’m not saying at the foot of the escarpment, but along the rail corridor. Planners have been telling us for years – that’s where you put your density.
“Yes, you have to protect heritage, but don’t be afraid to try something new,” says Brown, initially a sceptic of the Lang’s Corner rebuild project at Crown Street Mall, but more recently a convert.
She attributes some of council’s ability to operate effectively to having seven women councillors.
“I’m being a bit sexist here, but we often have a lot of other responsibilities,” she says. “We’re there to get the job done.”
Brown has taken a special interest in LGBTQI issues, being instrumental in getting the rainbow road crossing at North Wollongong beach.
“I’m a supportive parent, but you’ve got to be more – you’ve got to be visible,” she said, noting that the Illawarra Steelers board, on which she sits, has long had a “welcome all” policy, the club being the first in the area to run drag queen trivia nights.
Brown couldn’t make it to the recent Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, attending instead the 40th anniversary dinner of Illawarra’s Sant’Andrea Association, but did agree with the observation that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had worn perhaps the dullest shirt ever seen in the march.
“You certainly don’t want arse-less chaps, but come on – a little bit of colour would not have hurt!”
Q&A with Tania Brown
Which accomplishment as a councillor has brought you the most satisfaction, and why?
In February 2021, I put forward a notice of motion for a post-COVID economic taskforce to focus on how we could help the region’s economy recover from the pandemic. Pleasingly, this received full support and the taskforce was established.
The many impacts of the pandemic on our community were considerable but to have a group come together to workshop how we could collectively work to lift our region’s economy and focus on keeping jobs locally was a demonstration of why we are lucky to live where we do. Sub-committees were established in each target area and research undertaken with outcomes including the drive for increased outdoor dining across the city and a skills taskforce established.
I am committed to fighting for local jobs, so our kids can work locally and stop the brain drain to Sydney. A by-product of COVID has been that we now know you can work locally, avoid the commute and have a healthier and more productive lifestyle.
The installation of the rainbow crossing at North Wollongong has been particularly gratifying as it has had an impact on making many people feel that their town is welcoming and inclusive.
Since being installed in 2019 I am often approached by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their families to tell me how much that visible affirmation meant to them. Just a bit of colourful paint but it sent a big message of acceptance and that is pretty powerful.
Which council ambition/project was your 'one that got away’?
I did try to get Sculptures by the Sea moved to Wollongong when Waverley Council had a falling-out with the organisers. It was a bold bid but one that would have brought tourism to the region and helped our visitor economy.
We know that having events and festivals in the area is a boost for our visitor economy and would have helped in our ongoing push for more hotels in the region. I’ll continue to chase tourism product for the region.
How often do you attend neighbourhood forums?
I’m a regular attendee at Neighbourhood Forum 5 and look forward to returning to face-to-face meetings soon. My ward 2 colleague, Cr David Brown, and I also meet with the executive to canvass current issues facing our area.
Where should council's priorities lie over the next five years?
At the last council meeting we adopted the Wollongong Housing Strategy, which has been in development for several years. Over that time, the issue of affordable housing, affordable rental housing and provision of key worker housing has become critical.
How council can play a part in addressing this challenge and what practical levers we can pull in terms of LEP changes and incentives will be a focus over coming years.
Another area I am passionate about is gender equity for our sporting fields. Most of our sporting infrastructure was built in the 60s and 70s and is not up to today’s standards of providing inclusive and disabled access. I recently visited the change rooms at Figtree Oval and was appalled at the conditions. Pleasingly, a grant was recently awarded by the state to contribute to an upgrade at this field but the problem exists at nearly every venue.
Climate change is already affecting us all. Over the past few months, we have seen the impact of the severe summer storms, with flooding across the city which has led to damaged road surfaces, many potholes and unusable sports fields. Drainage and irrigation across our playing fields needs to be a focus along with maintaining and increasing our footpaths and shared pathways.
Everyone is feeling the rising cost of living this year – how has this affected you?
Like many, I live on a single income so have certainly felt the sting of increased interest rates but at least I am in a home and working on paying down my mortgage. I really feel for young people trying to get into the housing market, starting their families and the rental stress that comes with everyday life.
It brings home again how important it is that as a region we work to provide a range of housing stock at various price points to give everyone the best chance to find a suitable home to live in.
What's your favourite Illawarra beach and why?
I’m not a big swimmer but as I live near Wollongong Harbour, I spend a lot of time on the Blue Mile and occasionally dip a toe into Belmore Basin. But you will more often find me at Yachties with a coffee in hand, looking at the ocean and enjoying the view of Wollongong from Flagstaff Hill.
