As Lord Mayor it’s a great privilege to meet with local people from all walks of life and attend all sorts of community events. I recently attended Wollongong City Council’s Let’s Chat Dapto session, with Councillors Linda Campbell and Ann Martin. It was held at the Dapto Ribbonwood Centre and provided the opportunity for residents to meet key staff from across Council’s diverse teams. They were able to speak with staff about a range of topics including planning and infrastructure, and hear about projects that are part of the West Dapto Development. The approach is in line with Council’s focus on improved engagement opportunities that can enable better information sharing and decision-making and a more connected community. There will be similar events in other suburbs in the future with the next to be held on Tuesday 29 April at Bulli Senior Citizen’s Centre. They’ll be promoted on Council’s website so keep an eye out in the What’s On section, or check out the suburb-specific pages, which highlight key news related to your postcode.

While we’re always striving to improve Wollongong’s liveability, maintaining an outward focus on behalf of the city is also really important. This might be through working more effectively with neighbouring councils, lobbying other levels of government or promoting Wollongong on the international stage. Last week I met with the Deputy Consul-General from the British Consulate General who was keen to hear about how our economy is diversifying and of potential opportunities locally for UK companies. It was a great opportunity to showcase key sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy and professional services, which are all based in Wollongong but focused on global markets.

This week I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my busy diary in the January to March quarter. In addition to Council meetings, Citizenship Ceremonies, media events and interviews, I attended 91 meetings and community events. While it was busy, there were some real highlights including the Lord Mayor's Afternoon Tea and Dance as part of Seniors Week, the City of Wollongong awards ceremony and the Australia Day Citizenship ceremony.