RCCIWA Stakeholder Engagement February
As well as meeting with various stakeholders, we have also been approached by various Government departments, both State and Federal regarding reviews they may be conducting or seeking regional input on initiatives or projects they are considering. These are some of the items we share with you each week via this newsletter or if more suitable, we contact our members directly for input or connection. We are also contacting a variety of stakeholders and organisations, encouraging them to send us their latest updates and information so we can share it with you. Below is a brief overview of some of the stakeholder engagement for February:

• Met with the recently appointed CEO of the Midwest CCI, Joanne Fabling to hear of her first 4 months in the role and the plans and activities of the MWCCI. Joanne has hit the ground running in the role and is doing a fantastic job. We are excited to welcome Jo to the broader regional Chambers network and look forward to working with her and the team. They have so many fantastic events and activities planned for the year ahead with a key focus on supporting, developing and connecting their members and broader community. To find out more about what they have planned visit here.
• Met with the Noongar CCI to see how our two organisations may work together. Visit here to find out more about the NCCI and the great work they are doing.
• Met with Barb Howard from Country Arts WA to talk about their regional leadership program and how our two organisations can work together.
• Met with Jenny and Jason from the Department of Training and Workforce Development for a regular bi-monthly meeting to discuss the Working Together program.
• Met with Lareesa and Beena from Rio Tinto to discuss the progress and planning for the Capability Enhancement Programme, being delivered in Karratha and the Inland Pilbara.
• Met with the team from the Departments of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI) and Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to discuss the Local Content Advisers and how we can work together to support the drive for Local content on State Government projects and procurement.
• Met with the Regional Aviation Team from the Dept of Transport to discuss the recommendations from the Inquiry into Regional Airfares and how we can assist in communicating their objective and connecting them with regional business communities.

RCCIWA Executive Committee Meeting – February 22^nd 2019
Last Friday our Executive Committee met for the first time this year. Our highly engaged and enthusiastic volunteer committee members are:

• Ron Mosby – President
• David Lantzke – Vice President
• Caroline Robinson – Secretary/Treasurer
• Hugh Gallagher – Executive Committee Member
• Andrew McKerrell – Executive Committee Member

With an overarching theme of Delivery and Sustainability, the committee meeting focused on key activities and priorities for the year with our priority being how we best serve our members. As a member driven organisation, we aim to deliver tangible benefits and activities and initiatives that will deliver real growth to each of our members. We have a very busy year ahead, and I must say having a committee with such drive and commitment to the organisation ensures we are always looking forward as well as remaining focused on our members. We also took the opportunity to check in with our strategic plan to ensure we are on track – and I can report that we are! Thank you to our executive for all that you do.

Local Government Act Review | Have Your Say | Open to March 31st 2019
In 2017 the McGowan Government announced a review of the Local Government Act 1995. This is the first significant reform of local government conducted in more than two decades. The objective is for Western Australia to have a new, modern Act that empowers local governments to better deliver for the community. Their vision is for local governments to be agile, smart and inclusive. RCCIWA is pleased to have been invited to be a member of the Local Government Act Review reference committee, to ensure that the voice of regional business is heard. We have been contributing the views and perspective of all regional business communities to ensure any changes to the Act make a positive impact for all regional businesses, and make it easier to do business. The consultation period is now open until March 31st 2019 and we would encourage all RCCIWA members to contribute their views, by completing the online surveys (which are easy to use and won’t take too long). To find out more go here.