Lord Mayor's Column: Taking a collaborative approach to aged care

Update from the Lord Mayor's Office: Thursday 5 March 2026

This week, I was pleased to attend a ceremony for the start of major works for IRT’s Diment project (previously known as Diment Towers). Diment has long been a familiar and valued part of our CBD landscape, and it is great to see this landmark building being revitalised to lay the foundations for the next generation of seniors living in Wollongong.

We know the provision of aged care in our community and the delivery of housing are the two biggest challenges being faced in our country and our city today. We all have to work together to ensure that we have the right homes in the right locations for our seniors.

At Council, we are doing all that we can to support delivery of aged care and seniors living in the region. We are working in partnership with NSW and Federal Governments and local stakeholders, including aged care providers and the Illawarra Shoalhaven Health District, to address the ongoing challenges in our community.

This support includes; ongoing direct collaboration with researchers, support of allied health programs and working with the regional Aged Care Taskforce, looking at Council owned land and its future uses, and working directly with applicants and aged care providers to ensure that we can get relevant projects off the ground as quickly as possible.

Council has approved a number of DAs over the past five years, and we are committed to working with providers on delivering much needed aged care accommodation across our city.

Solving this challenge is no easy feat. We recognise the importance of this issue in our community, and we are doing everything we can to meet the needs of our seniors, to ensure they have access to a safe, supportive and welcoming home.