Since becoming the Member for Gosford just nine months ago, I have enjoyed meeting with a number of businesses - some of whom are brand new, and some of whom have been operating on the coast for years - and hearing their stories.
It’s heartening that so many locals have seen the changes that are happening on the Coast and are taking the big step to be a part of that change by opening up new and exciting businesses.
While governments can help set up the conditions for businesses to thrive, it takes an entrepreneurial spirit to actually build a business and make it grow.
Whether it is a café bringing a new culinary trend to the Coast, or a business that has been around for decades breaking into a new market overseas and going from strength to strength – it’s that innovation that makes the future on the Coast so exciting.
We are only just getting started, and the best is yet to come.
The thing that has amazed me the most in my new role is the generosity of our community, so I want to thank those local business owners who take their success and invest it back into the Central Coast community.
There are so many business people whose generous contributions go above and beyond their day to day business activities and make the Coast an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
The comprehensive support for community groups, local charities, and general goodwill and generosity I have witnessed in our community is outstanding and needs to be commended.
This extends from individuals to businesses, local service organisations, sporting and social groups, and the generous contributions that people make in both their time and resources.
There is no doubt that small businesses lie at the heart of our region’s economic engine room, but they’re also part of our social and cultural heart too.
Their value and the role they play in our economy are sometimes underestimated but there’s nothing small about the impact they have on the Central Coast.
We need to ensure small businesses are getting the resources and assistance they need to grow and thrive in an ever changing economy.
Governments need to create the opportunities that businesses can use to leverage the advantages we have here on the Coast – a growing population, links and proximity to Sydney and Newcastle, fibre-to-the-premises NBN in our centres, and our wonderful environment and lifestyle – and let businesses flourish.
I look forward to meeting many more of our hardworking and dedicated business owners over the coming years and hearing about how a future NSW Labor Government can be a great partner for local business.
Leisel Tesch is State Member for Gosford.
