Great to catch up with Melinda James on #ABCIllawarra about unleashing the huge potential of our regions.

“The federal budget needs to have a vision and the ingredients for growth. The first is investment. Big money needs to come here to drive new clean energy projects,” @JAWestacott

With all these huge assets, the missing ingredient is coordination. “Newcastle has an enormous belief that it can again reinvent itself. It just needs coordination.” says @JAWestacott

@HunterBiz’s Bob Hawes says skills will be critical over the next 4 years. “A lot of the new energy opportunities will use transferable skills from existing industries.”

@PortofNewcastle are already working to adapt to change. CEO Craig Carmody says “We have been diversifying over the last 5 years. We need to create new opportunities and nee business while the sun is shining and we can afford to do it.”

@JAWestacott agrees “Newcastle is one of the great examples of what the country could be. We see huge opportunities.”

@WSP_Australia’s Guy Templeton tells guests that since 2020, WSP has increased its staff in the hunter region by 50%. “This is a growth area in our business”

Fantastic to be out with @StrongAusNet in the Hunter today for our panel event with Guy Templeton @WSP_Australia, Craig Carmody @PortofNewcastle and Bob Hawes from Hunter Business. #strongaustralia

ICYMI in today’s Bega District News, over the weekend Jennifer Westacott, on behalf of BizRebuild, had the honour of officially opening the new Cobargo Innovation Hub. shorturl.at/imEGZ

Business Council chief executive, Jennifer Westacott will be moderating an expert panel discussion for @BrettonWoodsCom on Wednesday 20th April at 12.15am Australian time. Register for the event here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…

In case you missed it, read the transcript from @JAWestacott interview with @Ross_Greenwood on @SkyNewsAust ahead of the @dailytelegraph Future Western Sydney 2022 summit tomorrow. bit.ly/SkyNews2022

#Tunein as CEO @JAWestacott will be speaking with @Ross_Greenwood on @SkyNewsAust from 2.30pm AEDT.

We're bringing together employers of all sizes from across the economy to boost vaccination rates and get the nation one shot closer to the things we love. More info: bit.ly/2XDhI48 oneshotcloser.com.au

Last week, over 80 of the largest businesses in Australia signed an open letter asking governments to work together to implement the National Plan and chart a path out of the current lockdowns. Today, we're encouraging businesses - big and small - to join in and sign the letter.

Despite 28 years of uninterrupted economic growth and our success managing the economy through the pandemic, we are currently facing an equation that doesn’t stack up. We're encouraging everyone with a stake in the country's future to have their say 👇

For years, the state and federal governments have been pursuing a quiet transformation of western Sydney but this week the Berejiklian government has put its foot on the accelerator. Our CEO and Chair of @WestSydCity @JAWestacott writes in today's @australian ⬇