It feels like only yesterday when I was elected in 2019.

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Yet here we are, more than five-and-a-half years later, reflecting on a period that has dramatically reshaped our world.

In what feels like the blink of an eye, we’ve been confronted with events of immense magnitude that have tested our resilience and redefined our collective experience.

We faced the devastating fires of 2019 and 2020, which ravaged our landscapes and communities.

Before we could fully recover, a global pandemic swept across the world, altering the very fabric of our daily lives.

As we grappled with lockdowns and a health crisis, floods came crashing through, adding yet another layer of hardship.

Now, as we emerge from those challenges, we’re met with soaring inflation and a rising cost of living – issues weighing heavily on households everywhere.

Amid these trials, we’ve also witnessed the strength and resilience of our communities.

Time has marched on – quicker than we would like – and many projects on the Coffs Coast have moved along quite considerably since 2019.

The biggest is the Coffs Harbour bypass.

Back in 2019 the big debate was whether we would get tunnels or cuttings.

I’m proud to say that I was able to advocate for, and secure funding for, the tunnel construction on the bypass.

The project moved through the preliminary stages, and recently the project moved forward in huge leaps with the blasting of some of the tunnels breaking all the way through.

The bypass is on track to open to traffic at the end of 2026, with full completion of the project by 2027.

With a bumper holiday season now with us and the traffic that comes with it, we cannot wait to get the congestion out of our city.

Alongside the bypass, the Pacific Bay Film Studio project is continuing ahead.

I’ve facilitated productive meetings with Transport for NSW and various Ministers in the State Government to ensure that the studios are able to proceed.

These two projects are the two biggest infrastructure projects in our city’s history.

Not only are they happening at the same time, but they also share a boundary.

We need Transport and the State Government to commit to building a noise wall between the two projects, not only to allow the studios to continue to proceed full steam ahead but to also replicate the natural forest wall, which used to provide a noise and amenity barrier but has since been removed for the road construction.

Also in 2019, the State Government recommenced a project to revitalise the Coffs Harbour Jetty Precinct.

A generation of people have witnessed what should be a vibrant waterfront precinct languish in weeds, dust and vast unusable areas.

Collaboration and working across all levels of government is the only way to deliver outcomes our community wants and deserves.

Most people want a Jetty Precinct that meets the needs of residents and enhances our region’s appeal to visitors.

In my lifetime, I have seen the industrial sheds disappear, leaving behind an amazing opportunity to create something for the next generation.

I’ve called on the Minns Labor Government, which is both the landowner and rezoning authority for the revitalisation project, to prioritise tourism accommodation over other types of accommodation in the Jetty Precinct.

That sentiment is also shared by our council.

The community will, of course, continue to have input into the project as it progresses.

But our community cannot afford to kick this project down the road any longer.

Just look at the decision to defer spending on the Woolgoolga and Sawtell pools.

Who knows how much more time will pass before that opportunity for those communities will come around again.

In October, I joined hundreds of others for the relaunch of Aanuka Beach House.

Aanuka is one of Coffs Harbour’s original resorts and has seen a great investment from the Tilley and Wills hospitality group.

Tilley and Wills bring with them a great hospitality pedigree, and the feedback from the community is that they love it and they’re hungry for more.

There is so much happening in our community every day.

I am grateful to live where I live and to represent the people of the Coffs Harbour Electorate in the NSW Parliament.

As we reflect on the past five or so years, there is so much to look forward to over the next five years.

But just as the past five years have gone by in the blink of an eye, so too will the next five.

There is so much to be done, and only so much time.

Merry Christmas.

By Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh SINGH