What are the major issues and challenges facing the Central Coast in 2024? It’s a question Coast Community News put to Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris, and Member for Terrigal and former Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch.
Jobs and a robust economy will be critical for the Central Coast in 2024 according to Minister for the Central Coast and Member for Wyong David Harris.
The long-time MP – often referred to as the “Minister for Everything” because he also holds four other portfolios including Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, Gaming and Racing, Veterans and Medical Research – said a number of public and private developments either underway or nearing completion should ensure the Central Coast continued to enjoy a strong economy in the next 12 months.
“The most important thing for the Central Coast is to keep people in jobs and keeping the economy ticking over,” he said.
“Whether it be in housing or health, there’s a whole lot of development coming up this year that will keep the economy strong while providing jobs.
“There is a lot happening on the Central Coast, a lot of projects coming out of planning and starting construction.
“2024 is looking busy.”
Projects that will be important in the coming year include the commencement of work on the university campus in Gosford and geo-technical studies of the Gosford waterfront, currently underway.
“The Government has committed $8.5M to this project, to see what is actually possible for the site,” he said.
“There have been plenty of concept plans and pretty pictures, but we need to determine what can actually be built there; if only X or Y can be built there, well then, we know it’s X or Y.
“It’s been talked about for a long, long time.
“We need a realistic plan that will attract investment.”
Geo-technical work has also begun on the Pacific Hwy through Wyong township, another project that has long been talked about .
Over those years, $40M has been spent just on planning alone without a blow being struck.
“It is a big project that will include the construction of two bridges and actual construction is set to start in the second half of this year,” Harris said.
The long-awaited upgrade of Tuggerah railway station is well underway, the cancer unit at Wyong Hospital is getting an upgrade and work on the palliative care unit at Wyong will start in the second half of the year.
Planning work recently started on upgrading Avoca Dr through Kincumber and a business case for funding the Gosford TAFE project has been put up to the Government’s expenditure review committee for consideration in this year’s Budget.
Harris said several major private developments that would greatly contribute to the Central Coast economy were also well underway, nearing competition or set to open in the near future.
These included the $375M Archibald project in the heart of Gosford, set to open early in 2025, and St Hillier’s Central Coast Quarter residential and retail development on the former Gosford Public School site.
The newly renovated Gosford RSL Club is set to open this year and construction on Mingara’s $19M five-storey hotel is well underway.
Harris said his Government was conscious of easing cost-of-living pressures where it could.
This included: abolishing wage caps for the public sector; pay increases for teachers, nurses and paramedics; a $60 cap on weekly road tolls; a first homebuyers’ grant; a pre-school package offering $500 fee relief for three-year-olds in childcare; and means-tested energy bill relief in partnership with the Federal Government.
However, one glaring challenge for Coast residents in 2024 was getting the Central Coast Council elections right after first being placed in administration in 2016.
“One of the most important issues for the Central Coast in 2024 is the upcoming council elections in September,” he said.
“I would encourage good people to stand.
“Central Coast ratepayers have not had a good deal for a long, long time.
“The role of a councillor has changed; councillors must make sure ratepayers’ money is being spent in the ratepayers’ best interest.
“It’s up to all of us to make sure we know who we are voting for.”
Denice Barnes
Is it in ratepayers best interests to have a McDonald’s at Noraville? Especially the ratepayers with children attending Toukley school? sMellin’ it all day while they are tying to concentrate, massive traffic increase and safety issue at the main intersection used by school kids, traffic congestion between here and the roundabout every school start and end time?