The Victorian Government is supercharging Ballarat’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by investing in dozens of projects that create jobs, encourage visitors and support local communities.  

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.

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 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. 

Federation University will build the nation’s first wind turbine training tower to prepare Victorian students for jobs in the booming renewable energy sector.Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney and Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today turned the first sod at the Mount Helen campus, the gateway to wind farms across Western Victoria.

A new and expanded mental health and well-being support hub has opened in Ballarat, giving locals the care and support they need on their doorstep, thanks to the Victorian Government.Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health Steve Dimopoulos today opened the new Cooinda Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub, which will provide an array of health and social services including children’s assessments, counselling, and family violence support.

The Andrews Labor Government is delivering the largest ever investment in housing across regional Victoria, ensuring our most vulnerable have a safe and secure place to call home in their local community.Minister for Housing Richard Wynne today announced at least 150 social housing homes will be built in Ballarat creating 100 direct and 350 indirect local jobs.

The Victorian Government is taking immediate action to keep people who live in residential disability settings, private aged care residents and staff safe with a vaccination blitz to ensure workers in these vulnerable settings are protected against coronavirus.