MP speaks up for the Central Coast

The following is an edited extract of that speech taken from Hansard:

I wish to speak about a subject that is near and dear to the hearts of people throughout my electorate and, I think I could say in a parochial fashion, of people throughout all the electorates on the Central Coast. That subject is: When will the Central Coast be recognised as a distinct region?

Many people do not realise that currently the Central Coast, in terms of both Federal and State Governments, does not stand alone as a region. With regard to education, for example, the Central Coast is part of the Hunter-Central Coast region. It is now time for the Central Coast to move to the next level and ensure that we are a distinct educational region.

It is a similar situation with regard to health. Looking through all the Government departments and agencies, including the Roads and Traffic Authority and many others, we can see that the Central Coast is in the same situation. We believe the Central Coast misses out because we are always part of another region’s figures and not considered to be a separate entity.

Many people are not aware that the population of the Central Coast now exceeds 350,000. That is more than the population of the Illawarra, which is about 300,000, and more than that of the Australian Capital Territory. But still the Central Coast is not recognised as its own distinct region.

At the recent State Plan forum held at Mingara Recreation Club, which the Premier attended, the community made its feelings on this issue clear. I was very pleased that the Premier took those issues on board and made a commitment to examine the current situation.

Even the Bureau of Statistics does not recognise the Central Coast as a distinct region. Gathering statistics on unemployment and so on involves an extra step to extrapolate the figures for our region. A lot of the people now moving to the area know it only as the Central Coast. They do not consider themselves as living in either Wyong or Gosford LGA.

Last Monday, Minister for Tourism Jodi McKay launched a fantastic new tourism strategy called "Come to the Coast". The strategy has a real Central Coast feel and for the first time, I think both the northern and southern areas of the Central Coast were recognised.

There are some very good institutions on the Central Coast, including the Central Coast Academy of Sport – one of the premier sports academies in New South Wales; the Bluetongue Stadium – which the Central Coast Mariners, among other teams, plays from; and, for the first time, the Central Coast has a team to call its own. Surf Life Saving Central Coast is one the strongest surf life saving branches in New South Wales.

On many different levels the Central Coast is already acting as a region, but we need government recognition of that fact. I think it would help if Wyong Shire Council and Gosford City Council worked together more closely on regional projects. That is not a criticism, and I am not pointing the finger of blame at either Council. It is merely an observation that the Central Coast needs to prove that it is operating as a region.

The first step should be to set up a working party to define a set of goals to establish regional identity. Everyone you talk to on the Central Coast believes it should be a region, and I hope the Government looks seriously at making that happen.

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