Greens to find new candidate in Wollongong after first pick withdraws

In early January, it was announced that Bradley Stanton would run in the seat of Wollongong.

However, by Sunday, he had been removed from the party's campaign material and his social media accounts were deactivated.

On Monday, a Greens spokesman said only that this was due to "personal reasons", and that the party would be announcing a new candidate for the seat "soon".

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Mr Stanton said earlier this month that he had hoped to address the issues of housing affordability, waiting times in hospitals and "overworked" teachers during his campaign.

"Wollongong residents need a viable alternative to vote for," Mr Stanton said in his "mission statement", "someone who understands what the community needs and can be a powerful voice in the NSW Parliament."

Mr Stanton also felt stronger measures needed to be taken when it came to gambling.

"Stronger gambling regulations, especially with online gambling and the introduction of a cashless gaming card, is desperately needed," he said.

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He also called for better education and awareness of the harm gambling can bring to "individuals, families and frontline workers".

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, these issues have become more and more prevalent, requiring urgent action," he said.

"It's obvious we can no longer hope that the major parties can provide us with relief and the support we need when quite often they approach problems after they have occurred rather than fix issues at the root cause."