Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the honour of attending the opening of the Luka chocolate factory and the Australian Artisan Chocolate School at the historic Wyong Milk Factory. Luka Chocolates is a great example of an innovative small business that has brought something unique to Dobell. With support from the federal government, owners husband and wife Anton and Ekaterina have created a wonderful place for people to experience chocolate making and to taste the handiwork of the chocolatiers.

Anton and Ekaterina migrated from Russia and have only been in Australia for a few years. In Russia, Anton worked as a solicitor and Ekaterina as a biologist. The hope is that the factory will create a new type of food tourism for the Central Coast region. Visitors will come to see the Central Coast not just for its natural beauty but also for cultural tourism such as chocolate making. Along with the opening of the Australian Artisan Chocolate School, it will add a definite flavour of excitement and adventure to Wyong and the Central Coast region.

This is an important achievement for the region and for the electorate of Dobell, which, like many other areas around Australia, depend upon the engine of small business to create jobs and prosperity. Small business is the largest employer on the Central Coast. Many of these small businesses are in tourism, and they face the challenges that that entails, including the seasonal changes. Last financial year, more than five million people visited the Central Coast region. These visitors spent more than $800 million.

Spending by visitors helps our local regional economy. Tourism is a vital part of the local economy, and our growing population needs jobs. Asia's growing economic clout offers tremendous opportunities for Australian tourism, including the Central Coast region, where some of the world's most beautiful beaches lie. But we need more than natural landscapes to attract visitors who will be looking for a range of experiences that reflect the diversity of our region. This chocolate factory is an example of this. The type of investment that Luka Chocolates has made in Wyong is an example of how a small business with faith in its own prowess can make a difference by going with its strengths.

The government hopes that Australians will go with their strengths and have faith in what they are good at rather than what they think they ought to be good at. We need to remember that private enterprise creates economic growth and jobs and allows us to live the lives that we want to lead and especially to look after our families and children.

I applaud this initiative demonstrated by Luka Chocolates and congratulate Anton, Ekaterina and their team on their efforts in creating an exciting form of food tourism and a wonderful chocolate experience for locals and visitors. Anyone driving up the M1 should take the turnoff there at Wyong and, please, come and visit Luka Chocolates.