President’s Welcome – September 2024
It’s September already and I openly admit it’s my favourite time of the year with the end of winter, my favourite event the Wishlist fundraiser and my birthday all rolling out this month.
There’s also lots going on in our Chamber and the local business community.
We need to start with the biggest priority for all our members with the State election due on 26 October. It is imperative that all our members contact their local elected member and opposition representative to actively agitate for major investment in our region.
That was the key message from Sunshine Coast Council Head of Economic Development, Chris Le Serve at the recent Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce event which was hosted by Yield Advisory in front of more than 100 guests on the A1 building rooftop in the Maroochydore CBD.
It’s a message that our Chamber’s executive team supports wholeheartedly.
With regards to major infrastructure funding, the Sunshine Coast has been neglected by both political colours for more than thirty years, particularly in comparison to what other regions receive. With the 2032 Olympic and Paralympics fast approaching, now is our time to agitate for our share of much needed funding and that is our message to our members as well as other local Chambers and business groups.
Please see links to Council’s Advocacy document and the Level Up guide. The documents provide additional information on the four innovation pillar funding requests which are paramount to the long term economic and social success of our region.
State Election priorities for our region | Sunshine Coast Council
Level Up Your Business resource guide | Level Up | Sunshine Coast Business Programs & Resources
Young Chamber
We recently formalised our separation from the Young Chamber after a number of years working together while the fledgling group found its feet. As a chamber we are thrilled to see this group of young leaders emerge in our business community and we looking forward to collaborating with them on future events.
Chambercast with the President and Pep
We’ve had some incredible guests this year including two of our most recent in Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Chris Mills as well as Sunshine Coast Council’s head of Economic Development Chris Le Serve. Both men gave us fantastic insights into their major projects and the incredible economic impact they will have on our region. Our latest guest is industry stalwart Jason Garland from Secure Access IT who provided some great insights into cyber security and how we can take steps to reduce the opportunity to be hacked. To listen to all the latest Chambercast’s with the President and Pep, please click here: https://maroochy.org/chambercast
Council launches StreetUp campaign
It’s becoming very clear that homelessness is becoming an issue across the country and the Sunshine Coast is not immune to people not having a permanent roof over their head each night.
Sunshine Coast Council has recently launched the StreetUp campaign as a way of starting a conversation about addressing homelessness in our community. Council have engaged a team of Lived Experience Leaders, in collaboration with council members and service providers to guide you through the process.
Street Up aims to integrate the unique perspectives of those who have experienced homelessness into broader community efforts. By engaging with the Lived Experience Leaders your organisation can gain valuable insights that can help shape effective, inclusive solutions. Whether you represent a business, community group, or organisation, working together can drive meaningful and sustainable change.
Starting the conversation is the first step. Council can provide the broader context and details around available services and responses, ensuring that your efforts are informed and impactful.
Please visit www.streetup.com.au for more information.
Thanks to HBA Accounting, our MCC team and sponsors
For as long as I have been involved in our Chamber, HBA Accounting has been responsible for our annual audit. They recently chose to cease this task and we thank them for their professional service over a number of years. The incredible financial position we find ourselves in as a result of many moving parts including the hard work of HBA Accounting.
I continue to heap praise on our dedicated executive committee members, without their support our chamber would simply not exist so we thank them all for helping lift the standards of our chamber for all our members. We also note that our AGM is due next month and further details will be made available on our social media channels. As always we are looking for new members to join our executive so please give this your consideration.
Many thanks as always to our incredible membership officer Sharon Dryden who attends all our events and ensures we have a regular flow of communication with our members. The support from Min Swan and her team at White House International is also pivotal to our success and I thank them all for their support.
Finally thanks to our sponsors and members for all you do to make our Chamber so successful. As always, if you have any ideas for news, events or activities we could promote or undertake please let us know.
I look forward to seeing you at our next Chamber event.
Brendan Bathersby
President