Support for Ballarat growth
Tue 8 March 2011
Regional development priorities for the Ballarat region were advanced today as the Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan met with representatives of the Ballarat City Council.
Speaking at the Ballarat West Employment Zone, Mr Ryan said the Government remained committed to supporting local projects that created local jobs and development opportunities.
The Government, through Regional Development Victoria (RDV), has been working collaboratively with the City of Ballarat to progress initiatives, such as the Ballarat West Employment Zone (BWEZ), to help grow the region. The BWEZ is a 623 hectare site that can be used for a variety of purposes including industrial, manufacturing and aviation, and which will create employment and business opportunities.
Ballarat City Council representatives and Mr Ryan discussed other regional development initiatives including the Ballarat West Growth Area project, Western Link Road, the Ballarat Freight Hub Relocation, and the Airport Upgrade project.
The government is providing $3.4 million to Ballarat City Council towards the $5 million Ballarat Airport Upgrade project which involves the construction of a new hangar facility to house classrooms, as well as an operations centre and offices, and upgrades to the taxi-runway.
The government is also working with the council on initiatives which formed part of the Ballarat CBD strategy, in particular the Ballarat Civic Hall Redevelopment and Town Hall Plaza Project, and projects that were already underway including the Australian Centre for Democracy at Eureka, and the Ballarat Industrial Workforce Development Strategy.
Priority local projects that create jobs and promote regional growth will be eligible for funding through the Government’s $1 billion Regional Growth Fund, legislation for which was introduced into Parliament just last week.
Mr Ryan today also met with the Committee for Ballarat, which he praised for its promotion of a target of 10,000 new jobs in Ballarat in the next 10 years.
“The Committee for Ballarat strongly supports the Ballarat West Employment Zone and the Ballarat Western Link Road projects as infrastructure projects that would help Ballarat attract new investment and create new jobs,” Mr Ryan said.
