As 2025 draws to a close, political representatives from across the South Coast have reflected on the year’s achievements, challenges and turned their attention to 2026.

The responses highlight common themes including delivering on projects, attempts to solve the housing crisis, greater community engagement and advocacy - rounded out with their priorities for 2026.

Kiama Council Mayor Cameron McDonald told The Bugle that a key achievement for 2025 was addressing the Performance Improvement Order, including the divestment of Blue Haven Bonaira while ensuring the facility remained in the community and making improvements to Council’s financial stability, governance, and leadership stability.

“We’ve managed to get the budget down from an $18 million deficit to around $3.4 and our second year of clean financial audits,” Cr McDonald said.

“We’ve improved governance and we’ve been able to lock in an executive leadership team with the extension of the CEO’s contract – Kiama Council is certainly in a better position than it was 12 months ago.”

Kiama Council CEO Jane Stroud explained that while the clean audits and improvements in unrestricted cash are “hard won victories”, the results of the internal culture survey undertaken at Kiama Council is hard to go past.

“We blew it [culture survey] out of the ballpark!” Stroud said.

“The team here is really happy and we improved 69 out of 72 categories – like off the wall.”

At a state level, new Kiama MP Katelin McInerney was proud of the significant progress the NSW Government is making on major infrastructure projects in health, education, and roads.

“The new Shellharbour Hospital and redevelopment of Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital, as well as over $41 million worth of upgrades completed at Bomaderry High School and the early works have commenced on the Tripoli Way Extension Project as a result of a $40m investment,” McInerney said.

Shellharbour MP Anna Watson told The Bugle that one of her highlights was officially opening the new amenities building at Cec Glenholmes Oval for the Warilla rugby league club.

She also pointed to teacher vacancies in her electorate being slashed by 73%, the announcement of new schools for West Dapto and Flinders, plus a new preschool for Barrack Heights. 

“I was proud to advocate for Shell Cove residents facing major property defects caused by the Frasers group. I provided a platform for residents to share their concerns and ask questions about having these defects rectified. 

“Throughout this process, I worked closely with Building Commission NSW and the affected homeowners to ensure timely resolution of these issues.”

Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips was humbled – and a little overwhelmed with the electorate support after winning her seat at the federal election with a much larger majority.

“I’m so thrilled that people placed their trust in me to be their representative in the Federal Parliament for the third term, and I have been working hard every day to ensure our region receives funding for infrastructure, roads, schools, and community projects,” she said.

Reflecting on the challenges, many representatives raised housing pressures and growth factors as a defining challenge for 2025, with Stroud describing the issue as a “really hard conversation for a community like ours”.

“[But] when you’ve got such a wonderful environment, people who are very passionate and not everybody wants to see the town grow – the pressure to provide housing is a national problem,” Stroud said.

“We have to be a part of the solution [to the housing crisis] because we agreed by signing up to the National Housing Accord.”

Cr McDonald said managing growth while protecting residents’ values was difficult.

“It’s been a challenge – balancing growth with retaining Kiama’s character and the reason why we love living here,” he said.

Phillips is pleased the Federal Government is working with state and local colleagues to provide the necessary access to “more well-located social and affordable housing in our region”.

However, she acknowledges cost-of-living remains a challenge and is “the highest priority” for the Federal Government.

Stroud said her Council’s investment in communications and community engagement has stimulates an engaged community to shape the future together.

Fiona Phillips and Katelin McInerney.

“We’ve really had to rethink the way that we engage,” Stroud said.

“We do a lot of in-person engagement with our community pop-ups, as well as online surveys, working groups and focus groups and we speak to key stakeholders - so if we are talking about heritage, we’ll go and meet with our local heritage groups and our local historians.

“I’ve loved all the pop-ups because you’re just taking the issues and having conversations with people where they are – it's resource intensive, but you end up having a more genuine exchange about views.”

Looking to 2026, a major priority for Kiama Council and Stroud is seeing the Performance Improvement Order lifted, along with longer-term advocacy, including the Spring Creek covenant issue.

“Spring Creek and lifting the restricted covenant and changing it to an easement would be an absolute legacy-making game changer for this community,” she said.

“It is one signature moving from a restricted covenant to an easement and it changes our financial complexion, not just for this council, but for the next 50 years.”

Shellharbour MP Anna Watson.

At the state level, McInerney is aiming to deliver better essential services for the community.

“We are finally building the roads, schools and hospitals that communities were promised for 12 years but never got,” McInerney said.

“The adoption of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plans and the outcomes of the Illawarra Rail Resilience Plan will be a key priority in 2026.”

Watson said her top priorities for 2026 were “housing, health, education, transport, youth engagement, the arts, recreation, and emergency preparedness”.

“My focus will remain on delivering better infrastructure, improving access to essential services, and advocating for initiatives that strengthen safety, education, and wellbeing across Shellharbour.”

Phillips said her priorities would continue to centre on a cost-of-living, health and mental health support, local road upgrades, while encouraging groups to engage with her office for funding opportunities.

“Creating opportunities for our young people will help them build Australia’s future,” Phillips said.