Mikaela's San Giorgio – Digital Portfolio

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Introducing the Concept

When I first started thinking about this assignment, I didn’t immediately think about climate change or renewable energy. Instead, I thought about my own life. My fiancé works in the coal mining industry in the Illawarra, and with ongoing conversations about shutting down coal, it’s something that regularly sits in the back of my mind. It puts me in an uncomfortable position. I don’t love coal mining, and I understand its environmental impact, but at the same time, it is the industry that currently supports our life and future.

There are 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each designed to address global challenges and create a more sustainable future (United Nations, 2015). Although discussions around coal are often framed through SDG 13: Climate Action, I want to preface that this project takes a different approach. While climate change is important, I am not exploring coal mining through an environmental lens. Instead, I am examining it through SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, with a focus on industrial transition.

This distinction is important because SDG 9 is concerned with building resilient infrastructure, supporting inclusive industrial development, and fostering innovation (United Nations, 2015). In the context of Wollongong, this raises a more complex question than simply whether coal should be phased out. It asks what happens next. How do you transition away from an industry that a city was built on, without disrupting the systems that sustain it?

To explore this, I created a 60-second digital campaign reel designed for social media. The reel targets university-aged audiences (18–25), who are often exposed to simplified or polarised narratives around sustainability. Rather than offering a solution, the video aims to shift perspective by highlighting the complexity of removing an industry that functions as the “heartbeat” of a community. This report expands on that concept, drawing on both personal experience and research to examine why SDG 9 is particularly relevant to the Illawarra region.

Personal Context and Perspective

This issue is deeply personal. My fiancé works in the coal mining industry in the Illawarra, and through this, I have developed a more nuanced understanding of what mining represents beyond its environmental impact. While I recognise that coal mining is not sustainable in the long term and is not without risk, it currently provides the financial stability and work-life balance that supports our everyday life.

Coal mining in the Illawarra is unique in that it offers conditions that are difficult to replicate in other industries. Workers often complete three 12-hour shifts per week, live close to their workplace, and earn relatively high and stable incomes, with mining consistently ranked among the higher-paying industries in Australia (Mining and Energy Union, 2023). This structure allows for a level of balance that supports family life and reduces external stress.

My partner and his two brothers all work in mining, while their father worked at the Port Kembla steelworks for over 30 years. For them, working in the industry is not an emotional or ideological decision, but a logical one. It provides secure employment, predictable routines, and a reliable income. While there is awareness of the environmental implications, the immediate reality is that mining continues to sustain families.

Challenging Assumptions and Media Narratives

Before being exposed to this perspective, I held a much simpler view of coal mining. Like many others, I associated it primarily with environmental harm. This reflects a broader cultural tendency to accept dominant narratives without really questioning them, especially when they are reinforced through media and social platforms. In many ways, this links to what is often referred to as “cancel culture,” where something is quickly labelled as entirely negative and shut down in conversation, without taking the time to understand the full picture (Ng, 2020).

This kind of thinking can oversimplify complex industries. In the case of coal mining, it can lead to people saying it should just be stopped altogether, without recognising what it actually supports. Coal is still embedded in everyday life in ways that are often overlooked. It plays a crucial role in steel production, which is used in housing, transport infrastructure, and large-scale construction, with companies such as BlueScope Steel highlighting the ongoing importance of coal in the steelmaking process (BlueScope Steel, 2023).

Wollongong as a Coal Mining City

Understanding Wollongong’s identity is essential to understanding this issue. The Illawarra region developed as a major coal mining area in the 19th century following the discovery of coal seams along the escarpment. This led to the expansion of mining operations, the establishment of Port Kembla for export, and the development of the steelworks industry, which became central to the region’s economy (Wollongong City Council, 2025).

Over time, coal mining and associated industries shaped not only the economy, but also the social and cultural identity of the region. Generations of families have worked in mining and steel production, creating a strong connection between industry and community.

This historical context is reflected in my video, which opens with the line: “Wollongong was built on coal mining.” This statement acknowledges that the city’s infrastructure, employment, and growth are directly tied to the industry.

Rethinking Innovation Through SDG 9

A key argument of this project is that innovation is often misunderstood. It is frequently framed as disruption or removal, where outdated industries are replaced without consideration of the systems they support. However, SDG 9 emphasises the importance of building resilient infrastructure and supporting inclusive industrial development (United Nations, 2015).

Within this framework, innovation is not simply about ending coal mining. Instead, it is about developing alternative industries that can replicate the stability, accessibility, and economic contribution that mining currently provides.

This idea is communicated through the “heartbeat” metaphor in the video. Mining is presented as a core part of the region’s functioning, supporting jobs, income, and infrastructure. Removing it without adequate replacement risks destabilising these systems.

Digital Campaign and Social Innovation

The video itself functions as a digital campaign designed to provoke thought rather than provide solutions. It uses a combination of original footage filmed around Wollongong, including the lighthouse, Sea Cliff Bridge, and coastal infrastructure, alongside selected royalty-free footage sourced from Pexels and Canva to represent elements that were not accessible to film directly, such as active mining environments (Pexels, 2026; Canva, 2026). The final reel was created and edited using Canva, which enabled the integration of video, text overlays, and audio into a cohesive short-form campaign piece (Canva, 2026).

The pacing of the video is deliberately slow, supported by minimal editing and soft background music. This approach reflects the sensitivity of the issue and encourages reflection rather than confrontation. The inclusion of on-screen text alongside voiceover enhances accessibility and allows viewers more time to engage with the message. All spoken narration was recorded in my own voice, reinforcing the personal nature of the topic and strengthening the connection between the message and lived experience.

From a digital and social innovation perspective, the video demonstrates how short-form media can challenge simplified narratives. Social media platforms often promote fast, polarised content; however, this campaign intentionally slows the viewer down, encouraging deeper consideration of industrial transition.

Evaluating Current Transition Strategies

Current strategies to transition the Illawarra region include the Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone, offshore wind development, hydrogen initiatives, and workforce retraining programs (EnergyCo NSW, 2023; Australian Government, 2024). These initiatives reflect an attempt to realign the region’s industrial base in line with SDG 9, which prioritises infrastructure development and industry transformation. However, their significance lies not in their existence, but in whether they are capable of replacing the economic and structural role that coal mining currently provides.

While these strategies present a clear vision for future industry, their impact remains limited by a lack of immediate implementation. The Renewable Energy Zone, for example, has been positioned as a major opportunity for regional development, yet limited project rollout suggests that innovation is still largely conceptual rather than operational (ABC News, 2024). This highlights a key tension within SDG 9: the difference between planning new infrastructure and actually delivering systems that can sustain employment and economic activity.

Similarly, emerging industries such as hydrogen production are often framed as future solutions, but their current scale and uncertainty raise questions about their capacity to function as direct replacements (ARENA, 2024). This exposes a critical gap in the transition process. While new industries are being introduced, they are not yet strong enough to replicate the stability, accessibility, and economic contribution of existing ones. As a result, the transition risks prioritising long-term vision over present-day viability, reinforcing the central argument of this project — that innovation must be measured not by what is proposed, but by what is capable of taking the place of what already exists.

Critical Reflection

This assignment gave me the opportunity to articulate my perspective on an issue that is personally close to me. Framing it through SDG 9 helped me think more critically about industry, infrastructure, and what a realistic transition actually involves, rather than relying on simplified narratives.

Through my research, it was reassuring to see that efforts are being made to develop new industries and infrastructure in the Illawarra. However, it also became clear that these alternatives are not yet at a stage where they can fully support the communities that currently rely on mining. This highlights a key challenge within SDG 9 — not just creating new systems, but ensuring they are strong enough to replace what already exists.

This links to social innovation, which focuses on improving systems in ways that support people as well as progress. In this context, it is not just about what replaces mining, but how that transition is managed so that communities are not left behind. This has shifted my understanding of innovation as something that must be built carefully, not simply introduced.

Final Thoughts

This project highlights the complexity of transitioning an industry that is deeply embedded in a place like Wollongong. Through the lens of SDG 9, the focus is not just on removing coal mining, but on what is being built to take its place.

Mining has acted as a “heartbeat” of the region, supporting jobs and everyday life. While new industries are being explored, they are not yet capable of fully replacing what currently exists. This reinforces the importance of approaching industrial transition in a way that is realistic, gradual, and capable of sustaining communities.

Ultimately, the success of this transition will depend on whether future industries can match the strength, stability, and accessibility of those that built the region in the first place.

References

ABC News 2024, Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone lacks project pipeline, ABC News, viewed 27 March 2026, https://www.abc.net.au

Australian Government 2024, Offshore wind area – Illawarra, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, viewed 27 March 2026, https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/renewable/offshore-wind/areas/illawarra

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) 2024, Industrial decarbonisation study, ARENA, viewed 27 March 2026, https://arena.gov.au/news/backing-innovation-in-industrial-decarbonisation/

BlueScope Steel 2023, Steel manufacturing and raw materials, BlueScope Steel, viewed 27 March 2026, https://www.bluescope.com/our-steel/steelmaking

Canva 2026, Canva design platform, Canva, viewed 27 March 2026, https://www.canva.com

EnergyCo NSW 2023, Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone, EnergyCo NSW, viewed 27 March 2026, https://www.energyco.nsw.gov.au/our-projects/illawarra-rez

Mining and Energy Union 2023, Pay and conditions in the mining industry, Mining and Energy Union, viewed 27 March 2026, https://meu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/UnionExpenditurePolicy.pdf

Ng, E 2020, ‘No grand pronouncements here…: Reflections on cancel culture and digital media participation’, Television & New Media, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 621–627, https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476420918828

Pexels 2026, Free stock photos and videos, Pexels, viewed 27 March 2026, https://www.pexels.com

United Nations 2015, Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, viewed 27 March 2026, https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Wollongong City Council 2025, Economic Development Strategy 2025–2035, Wollongong City Council, viewed 27 March 2026, https://wollongong.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0034/9988/WCC-Economic-Development-Strategy-2025-2035.pdf

Appendix:

ChatGPT (OpenAI) was used to adapt sentence structure and flow. All ideas and research remain my own.

All video content is a combination of my own footage and royalty-free footage from Pexels and Canva.

Audio for video from Canva (Royalty-free) – “Sad Moment / Sad and Melancholy Piano Background Music”