An absolute highlight for me recently was attending the Regional Chamber of Commerce two day forum in Perth. The schedule was jam packed with the first day sitting in the Boardroom at Hale House, hosted by Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC, in front of 3 other Ministers; Hon Stephen Dawson, Hon John Carey and Hon Simone McGurk and two Shadow Ministers; Ms Libby Mettam and Mr Shane Love, Leader of the Opposition.
With 40 Chamber representatives from across the state, there was much on the table. RCCIWA led by Kitty Prodonovic, sent each of the government representatives six critical issues that were a common concern prior to the day so that we received targeted answers.
What a pleasure it was to hear from the speakers in a measured and informative way. I will write more on this and place on our website soon.
Concerns in common were:
- Critical housing shortage
- The rising costs of doing business, and yes payroll tax was on the agenda, it is a such inhibitor!
- Access to skilled workers – we are actively researching this through our Future Skills workshops we are hosting over 5 sessions to gather knowledge from Educators & Industry.
- Childcare
- Long term business fatigue for micro to medium sized businesses
- Reliable access to broadband and telecommunications
Another exciting initiative is plans for a statewide ‘Regional Small Business Awards’ event. This will dovetail nicely into individual Chamber awards that are currently being held across the state. We are excited to be hosting our own ‘Business Excellence’ awards commencing in 2024 for the Bunbury Geographe region.
Rolf Stene, pictured, is a founding member and first President of the Regional CCI WA attended the two-day event with me. What an amazing wealth of knowledge coupled with his passion for the region, Rolf won over many new fans.
This week, we have witnessed such an inclusive sharing of culture, knowledge and events to celebrate our Elders for NAIDOC week. We are very proud to have sponsored (in-kind) the NAIDOC Ball taking place at BREC on Saturday 8 July. Our team member Amy Brown, has produced the slide show along with the program for the night. Big job but WOW it looks amazing!
To assist our members who are travelling to Bunbury for business and need an office to work from, we are offering up a space, free of charge to our members. In addition to an office, you will have access to kitchen facilities and a chat to our team. I am making myself available on Friday’s to meet with members to see how we can connect you in to opportunities. Feel free to contact me on 0437 398 726 or email ceo@bgcci.com.au
Did you know we also have three tenants located in our building. Solstice Finance; Judo Bank and Workforce Australia Local Jobs South West? We do have one more office available for rent at the front of the building (opp. Solstice), however needs a renovation. If you are keen to chat and offer an interest in leasing, we can chat about the ‘small stuff’ (aka rent free period if you renovate).
Our next Business After Hours is going to be on a Thursday night 27 July at X-Golf, with lots of fun with a planned competition. As a courtesy to our hosts, please ensure you advise us of any non-attendance as the cost of providing these events FREE to our members is borne by the host.
Julie.
