STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (16:40): October is Indigenous Business Month, an opportunity to celebrate the incredible work of Indigenous businesses right across our country. On Thursday, I popped into the Blak Cede Gunyah cafe in Nowra—an Aboriginal women-led social and cultural enterprise that cultivates traditional bush foods in their community garden and creates the most delicious food and a variety of take-home produce.

Blak Cede continues to thrive in our area, with a hugely popular catering service and their new shop, Bindhi Ya Gunyah, set to open next week. Blak Cede is just one of many innovative Indigenous businesses providing employment and training opportunities for young, local First Nations people in our region, helping to strengthen our economy and supporting our community.

This year's theme is 'Local and Connected'. It's a chance for all of us to get to know our Indigenous businesses, to support their work and build important connections. I want to thank the team at Blak Cede for sharing their culture and knowledge and for providing an amazing space for people to enjoy food with family and friends.

I was lucky to get a sneak peek at the new retail store and arts hub, which will feature 30 Indigenous artists and a huge variety of locally sourced products. It's sure to become a unique cultural destination for locals and visitors to the New South Wales South Coast.