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Candidate speaks to Chamber

Labor candidate for Robertson Ms Belinda Neal was guest speaker at a Pearl Beach-Patonga Chamber of Commerce meeting recently, according to the chamber's media liaison officer Ms Rosemary Ruthven.

"Ms Neal has experience as a small business woman, a lawyer, a Gosford councillor and senator," Ms Ruthven said.

"In her presentation, Ms Neal said that in today's political arena there was largely bipartisan agreement on 'the fundamentals' but that there needed to be greater investment in infrastructure.

"She cited two areas as being of particular importance; pre-school education and broadband access; believing investing in these would increase overall economic productivity."

Ms Ruthven also said that while the chamber's primary focus was the promotion of business, its members also wanted to promote an environmentally sustainable business culture and to support marginalised or disadvantaged groups.

"To that end, people are depositing their spent ink cartridges into the Planet Ark box, located in the Pearl Beach General Store, and have sold hundreds of Hope Bands for Daffodil Day," Ms Ruthven said.

"There is a local group raising funds for the Umina PCYC and six chamber members joined the 13,000 Field of Women event at Telstra Stadium."

The next Pearl Beach-Patonga Chamber of Commerce meeting will be held Saturday, September 15, at 4pm at the Pearl Beach Café.

The cost for the meeting is $10 for members and $15 for non-members.

Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be provided.

Anyone interested in joining can log on to the Pearl Beach Website www.pearl-beach.com and download an enrolment form.

Press release, 22 Aug 2007 Rosemary Ruthven, Pearl Beach-Patonga Chamber of Commerce