Cameron Caldwell (Fadden, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oi! Oi! Oi! Over the winter break, in addition to watching the Olympics, I was fortunate enough to host the deputy leader of the opposition on the northern Gold Coast to meet some local business owners and constituents. We hit the ground running at BUSY At Work at Oxenford, hearing from industry in the skills and apprenticeship sector about emerging challenges, but also recognising the amazing work being done by that organisation to get Gold Coasters into employment. The deputy leader and I hosted a women's business leaders breakfast with business owners and elected representatives, including Councillor Shelley Curtis and Councillor Naomi Fowler, as well as local school principal Joanne Sheehy from AB Paterson College. We discussed issues affecting women and young girls in our community. It was great to host that at my office.

We also took the opportunity to visit Adam Gilmour's new facility for Australia's leading aerospace and rocket company, Gilmour Space Technologies, which will soon be home to their 200 new employees, right in the heart of the northern Gold Coast, and we wish them the best of luck for their upcoming rocket launch later this year.

We then visited the Jacobs Well based local manufacturer Vansite, where we heard from business owners Grant and Christa and the executive manager, Tim, about their product, which includes the sale and leasing of mobile site vans.

The best part of this job is listening to people, and the deputy leader and I certainly did that both at a street stall in Coomera and a street walk in Paradise Point, hearing about how people are doing it tough during this cost-of-living crisis. I thank the deputy leader for the time she spent in Fadden with me recently.