Edgar Adams' Editorial

Welcome to the first edition of Central Coast Business Review for the year. We wish all our readers and advertisers a happy and prosperous 2008.

CCBR this year will be growing and with this issue we have introduced some new departments; Building & Construction News, Retail News, Sustainability News and Residential Prestige Property Report. We have also revamped our Website and made it more user-friendly and helpful with a useful business directory. Check it out!

Since we last went to press in late November the Rudd Government has been elected and its first move was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. What this means for business is that everyone, whether they like it or not, has to get on board and start working on how they can play their part.
Business costs will inevitably escalate so it is obvious that we all have to work on containing these costs. In our December issue we ran a story about law firm, Peninsula Law, which saved $70,000 last year in their new building. They saved money and the environment at the same time.
So to help you come to grips with how to save on costs and help the environment at the same time we have introduced what we have called a Sustainability News segment.

Over the Christmas break I was looking through some old issues of CCBR and became quite dejected looking at all the opportunities that had been presented to our region over the past 17 years and how few had actually come off.
When the Carr Government came to office twelve or so years ago they created a Minister for the Central Coast and appointed The Hon. John Della Bosca.
His first move, which we all supported, was the Central Coast Moving Forward initiative. Great things were going to happen and we were all very supportive and excited. But, as we have all learned, nothing happened.  Why? Because it all became too hard. Every initiative was met with some objection by one community group or another and the Government listened to them all and ended up doing nothing.
One of the greatest failures has been the lack of will to get a Fast Ferry Service underway. Let’s face it. There will never be another road to Sydney (the Greenies won’t let it) and a fast train won’t happen either for the same reason.
The Supershuttle Fast Ferry consortium planned a service from Gosford and Woy Woy to Sydney. That failed for all sorts of reasons but I do know their feasibility studies showed it would work.
Then came Fast Ships with the Ettalong to Sydney service. Fast Ships are still trying to raise the funds to get start a regular service. I believe its time to ask Fast Ships where they stand, what is the problem and how we as a community can get behind them.

Another issue that Moving Forward failed on was Warnervale.
Warnervale has become a basket case with rumours that the Airport will be shifted to Belmont, and rezoning of the Town Centre and proposed industrial areas held up by the Minister for Planning who appears to be at war with Wyong Council.
But Warnervale goes back 15 years at least. Fifteen years ago CCBR said that Wyong would be the locomotive of the Coast’s economy and that Warnervale was central to that. It hasn’t happened.
So, who is going to get all this happening. Governments have to be pushed and so do Councils. The minorities who now control us have to be swept aside in the interests of the whole region.

Edgar Adams
Editor

Back Send us your comments