Chair’s Message – Winter 2023
It’s been exciting times for the Coast these last few months, with a historic 6-1 win for the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Championship being a great source of pride for both the Club and our wider community.
As many of you know, the Mariners are very close to my heart – having coached them to two previous grand finals, as well as a minor premiership and pre-season cup.
The significance of this victory and the huge volume of community support behind it is helping to carve our regional identity and show we are a strong and competitive region at every level.
On behalf of RDACC, we congratulate these local heroes and are collectively proud of their accomplishments.
We also extend our congratulations to Member for Wyong, David Harris, on being selected for a place in the NSW Cabinet. As Minister for the Central Coast, we know David will be a strong advocate for our region and we congratulate him on his selection.
In recent months, we welcomed the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, The Hon. Kristy McBain, to the Coast to discuss regionally significant projects.
Hosted by RDACC, this visit allowed Minister McBain to meet with a number of key stakeholders and learn more about the projects and challenges shaping our community. These included enabling infrastructure, food innovation, affordable housing, healthcare and manufacturing.
Additionally, we have recently welcomed Pacific Link Housing CEO, Ian Lynch, to RDACC’s Leadership and Collaboration Committee, to help progress affordable housing initiatives on the Central Coast.
Pacific Link Housing is a leading not-for-profit community housing provider that has spent more than 40 years working to provide safe, secure and affordable homes for those in need, and this appointment will enable RDACC and Pacific Link Housing to continue to work together to address this critical regional issue.
Most recently, we welcomed over 60 attendees to the fifth event in our Developer Forum Series. Jointly hosted with the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) NSW, these events are proving exceptionally popular at helping to bridge the divide between all levels of government, developers and investors, and improving economic and development outcomes for our entire region.
Looking ahead, RDACC is pleased to officially partner with the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the first time to host the inaugural Regional Innovations, Global Connections event, right here on the Central Coast.
Regional Innovations, Global Connections will explore export and trade opportunities for regional businesses to increase investment within our wider region. Several industry specialists will be speaking to share their knowledge and expertise, including our CEO, John Mouland. Full details can be found here.
Over the coming months, RDACC will continue our work to expand opportunities in all areas of trade, employment, and regional development, as we work to create more local opportunities for local people.
Lawrie McKinna
Chair