Chair’s Message – August 2019
During the past quarter, we have experienced both a State and Federal Government election and Regional Development Australia Central Coast (RDACC) has been at the forefront of campaigning to our elected representatives to ensure our region gets what it deserves.
As leaders in driving the continuing growth and economic development of our entire region, RDACC has also been responsible for calling on a collaborative approach to attract critical, large-scale enabling infrastructure funding from both the NSW and Commonwealth Governments.
I will again stress that it’s the responsibility of all of our regional leaders to provide a united voice in order to attract funding that will facilitate the development of our region and benefit every resident — in terms of employment opportunities, access to quality facilities and services, and ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the whole Central Coast.
In recent times, RDACC has also been leading the way in multi-regional collaboration together with RDA Hunter, to investigate opportunities for greater collaboration and enhance advocacy through joining forces on a multi-regional scale.
The combined forces of our two Boards offers a compelling opportunity to be a united voice for more than 1 million current residents, that will grow to close to 1.3 million people by 2036.
The combined RDACC and RDA Hunter Boards also offers a collective of 21 highly experienced board members who possess a thorough understanding of the needs, opportunities and challenges facing both of our growing regional areas – opportunities and challenges that would greatly benefit from our collective experience and combined strength.
This unprecedented collaboration effort will ensure a non-biased and non-political collective voice on behalf of our Central Coast and Hunter communities; and will assist our regions to be more competitive when advocating and applying for funding to deliver enabling infrastructure.
The message is clear: collaboration is key on all fronts to achieve improved outcomes and greater better opportunities for the people of the Central Coast and its surrounding communities.
As one of the largest regional population centres in NSW, it’s time we worked together – both within our region and beyond – to identify and successfully pursue critical enabling infrastructure projects and secure funding commitments to help us achieve our full economic potential.
RDACC is ideally placed to lead this movement, and we look forward to working closely with all of our regional stakeholders to give the people of the Central Coast what they truly deserve.
Phil Walker
Chair