The Victorian Government is calling on all developers and landowners in regional Victoria to put forward any developments or vacant land that could be turned into social or affordable housing.

The Victorian Government is supporting local jobs with a new train-building contract with Alstom to design and build 25 new X’Trapolis 2.0 trains in Ballarat. The partnership with Alstom will support around 750 jobs in manufacturing and the supply chain – including a 60 per cent local content quota to support local skilled manufacturing jobs including trainee and apprenticeship positions.

A plan to turn the heart of Ballarat into a thriving university town is another step closer, with the Victorian Government investing in a masterplan for the transformational project. The key planning works, costing $6.11 million, will merge the Federation University campus with central Ballarat, transforming it into a contemporary and cosmopolitan destination for students and workers.

Support for licensed bars, cafes, hotels and clubs across regional Victoria will continue through September, and other businesses in regional areas will also be supported where ongoing restrictions severely affect operations. With the City of Ballarat entering a seven-day lockdown, all eligible businesses in that local government area will receive Business Costs Assistance Program and Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund payments for the last two weeks of September – along with more than 100,000 metropolitan businesses.

With multiple wastewater detections, multiple exposure sites and four positive cases, on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, the City of Ballarat will tonight enter a seven day lock down to slow the spread of the virus in the community.

The Victorian Government is ramping up delivery of the Big Housing Build across the state with the first allocation of funds to community housing projects – with more than $1 billion in projects to commence this year.The Government is investing over $20 million in Ballarat delivering 89 new social housing homes across 9 projects creating more than 250 local jobs.

Students at Forest St Primary School in Wendouree are a step closer to getting the facilities they need for a great start in life, with an architect appointed to design the school’s exciting upgrade.

Women from a range of diverse multicultural backgrounds will be able to support their business aspirations at a new fit-for-purpose hub in Ballarat, backed by funding from the Victorian Government.

The Victorian Government is creating extra kinder places in Ballarat with a boost to early education infrastructure ─ making sure young children in the area can access and enjoy Three-Year-Old Kinder.

Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle and Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison welcomed the expansion of the Regional Rail Revival Design Challenge 2050 competition into local schools.

Almost 500 jobseekers enrolled in the Andrews Labor Government’s Free TAFE initiative at Federation TAFE last year, making rewarding career pathways a reality for thousands of Victorians.

New pedestrian-operated traffic lights at a busy Ballarat intersection have been switched on, keeping hundreds of school students safe on their journey to and from school. Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison said the new lights at the intersection of Sturt, Russell and Morrison streets are part of a broader $4.8 million investment by the Andrews Labor Government in boosting safety along the western end of Sturt Street.

The Andrews Labor Government is supporting regional Victoria’s recovery from the COVID pandemic by investing in local jobs and stimulating the regional economy. Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison and Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle today announced $300,000 for a Resilience and Innovation Program for small businesses across Ballarat and the Grampians to be run by Commerce Ballarat.

The Andrews Labor Government is investing $49.2 million to build 162 new supported independent living homes, ensuring Victorians living with mental illness have the security and stability of a home. This includes a project in Ballarat West, delivering 16 new supported independent living homes in Redan for people living with mental illness, as part of the nation-leading Big Housing Build.

The Andrews Labor Government is bringing more AFL games to regional Victoria with Greater Western Sydney set to take on the Gold Coast Suns at Mars Stadium in Ballarat this Sunday 11 July.With support from the Regional Events Fund, the match marks the first home game of an interstate team to be played at Mars Stadium and adds to the suite of home-and-away matches played by the Western Bulldogs at the venue.