Beginning my new role as Chair of RDACC in January has allowed me to do something I’m so passionate about – support the growth and prosperity of our incredible region.

I am committed to creating opportunities for more local jobs and investment and have spent a great deal of time so far championing all levels of government regarding economic development and innovation. I have also been speaking with business and industry leaders about how we can best support them in establishing and expanding their operations in our local economy.

RDACC is best placed to be at the forefront of leading collaboration across government and industry to create economic growth and prosperity for the future of the Central Coast. As a priority towards achieving a more cohesive agenda for our region, we recently facilitated a landmark roundtable with all levels of government from both sides of the political landscape, Chambers of Commerce and key decision-makers to collectively agree actions that will positively impact our whole community.

By working together we can better support our entire region, especially in the ongoing economic flux we have seen throughout the COVID-19 restrictions over the last 12 months. These challenging times have shown the ingenuity, flexibility and commitment of businesses on the Central Coast and the resilience of our community.

Recently, we have been heartened by the recent opening of the first ever Australian Food & Agribusiness Doctoral Training Centre – a long-time goal of the Central Coast Food Innovation Initiative – here at Newcastle University’s Ourimbah Campus.

We have also welcomed the appointment of a new CEO for Central Coast Council and look forward to working together with council in this new era of cooperation and collaboration.

My commitment to #talkupthecoast is stronger than ever and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to make this unique and wonderful Central Coast region the best it can be.

Lawrie McKinna
Chair

Read more about Lawrie’s appointment here