ADJOURNMENT

Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (16:54): Business Singleton has once again held their annual Singleton Business Awards. Our local businesses are the lifeblood of the community, so thank you for all your hard work that you put in. The Singleton Business Awards recognise individuals and organisations across Singleton who have gone above and beyond over the past year.

There are some exceptional finalists in this year's Singleton Business Awards. The individual finalists for Young Business Leader of the Year were Keelie Bell, Chantel Merrick and Shylie Simpson. The finalists for the Business Leader of the Year included Rachel Baigent, Jeremy Brett, Kelly Cooper, Lesley Cooper, Sue Gilroy and Stacey Munzenberger.

For the top award of Employee of the Year, the finalists were Ella Coleman, Jackie Ernst, Jamie Illinfield-Bell, Jane Denton, Tegan Cox and Tiahna Ball. The finalists for Excellence in Supporting the Veteran Community were Singleton Legacy Group, Singleton Defence Family & Community and Singleton RSL. There were also a stack of businesses named as finalists in a range of business categories.

Congratulations to Amelia Rose Skin & Beauty, Aqua Legal & Conveyancing, Confetti Finance, Hollydene Estate Wines & Vines Restaurant, Hunter Valley Supports, iSimplify, Loop Organics, Meyn Street Meats, Morgan Engineering, Red Amp Electrical, Redbournberry Clothing Co, Renue Wellness, Salon Franc, Singleton Medical Centre & Skin Clinic, Singleton Neighbourhood Centre, Singleton Striders, Star Club Equestrian Program, Starline Alpacas Farmstay, Stepz Singleton, Wine Country Lavender and Witmore.

Now I'll go to the winners of this year's Singleton Business Awards. The big award of Business of the Year was taken out by Hunter Valley Supports. The President's Award was presented to Dyson Family Foundation.

The Excellence in Large Business Highly Commended went to Morgan Engineering. The award for Excellence in Small Business went to Singleton Medical Centre & Skin Clinic. Renue Wellness were recognised by being awarded Excellence in Micro Business.

Business Leader of the Year 21 Employees and Over is Jeremy Brett. Business Leader of the Year 20 Employees and Under went to my old political opponent Sue Gilroy. Good on you, Sue; great work.

We don't always see eye to eye, but you do fantastic things and support our community so well. The winner of the award for Outstanding Young Business Leader was Keelie Bell, and the winner of the big award of Employee of the Year was Jackie Ernst. The award for Outstanding Community Organisation went to Singleton Neighbourhood Centre.

The important award of Excellence in Supporting the Veteran Community went to Singleton Legacy Group. Good on you, guys. I know how much you do for our veterans, and you certainly make a world of difference to the lives of those who have given so much for our country.

This award is well deserved. Starting a new business is one of the hardest things anyone can do. It takes time, commitment, hard work and resilience.

So, congratulations to Confetti Finance for taking out the category of Outstanding New Business. The category of Excellence in Sustainability Highly Commended went to Loop Organics. We know, when we talk about tourism, the Hunter is on the top of the list of the places to go, so the category for Outstanding Visitor Experience is extremely important.

We wouldn't be the tourism hub that we are today without our local businesses making us the place to go. I say a very special congratulations to the team at Starline Alpaca Farmstay resort for taking out this category. In the category of Excellence in Health, Wellbeing & Lifestyle, Star Club Equestrian Program brought home the award.

They also, today, topped off the night by being awarded Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion. The category of Excellence in Professional Services went to Hunter Valley Supports. And, finally, the award of Excellence in Retail was given to Meyn Street Meats.

Thank you to all the great businesses of the Hunter.