To the Coffs Harbour Business Community – a very warm welcome to you all for 2016.
The Chamber has had a busy and productive year during the past 12 months, here’s a summary of what the Coffs Chamber of Commerce did in 2015:
We supported the Airport management with their presentation to VIRGIN to service flights COFFS to BRISBANE where over 200 members and guests attended.
Additional meetings were also held with QANTAS and other carrier representatives and we will continue to support the hard work and endeavours of Mr Dennis Martin to get a carrier.
We held the Work Together breakfast meeting where the three levels of government attended and we heard from our Federal Member for Cowper Mr Luke Hartsuyker, our state member Mr Andrew Fraser, councillors and the council GM Mr McGrath. We will hold another meeting shortly to find out how they went in the last 12 months, what they achieved and their plans for Coffs Harbour in the next 12 months.
The Chamber held numerous meetings with both Federal and State ministers with the aim to reduce Payroll Tax, Stamp duties, penalty rates and an array of issues that hold us back from growing our businesses.
Members of the Chambers board of management attended many meetings with different levels of state and local government and key-holder’s representatives with the purpose of finding a way to be able to receive cruise ships and put the Harbour back into Coffs.
We supported and helped the 2015 WRC (with the city dressed up and the community committee) and the Inaugural Smoke on the Water Festival.
We pursued and made it clear to our council the commitment of the Chamber of Commerce to the beautification of the Jetty Foreshores. We are very pleased to see that council delivered on their promise to complete Stage 1 and the quality of the work done.
The Chamber was delighted and grateful for Mr Luke Hartsuyker’s assistance and our Mayor’s announcement that Coffs City Council was successful in their grant application to the Federal Government for over $5 million to fund stages 2 to 4 of the Jetty Foreshores Project.
We noticed that Mr McGrath has made a public commitment to start Stage 2 in the first quarter of 2016 – Stage 2 It is the Board Walk!!
We were equally delighted to receive the news and media release by our State Member, Mr Andrew Fraser about the 5 million dollars for further upgrade to our Airport.
Our committee members are working tirelessly on our new web site and many other projects. We had the highest entry numbers to the 2015 Sunny Business Awards and our Chamber won for the first time the NSW Business Chamber Regional Award.
What 2016 holds for the Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce??
The Chamber would like to be a stronger voice, we would like to represent your concerns, ideas and suggestions to all levels of government. We want to do more – For us to continue and be that strong voice we need your help, please join us at the Chamber, become a member, take an active part. Let’s work together, let’s make COFFS HARBOUR the best regional city in Australia.