Ballarat West Growth Zone - Vision 08.09.09

Please click on the above link to read the full text of the Committee's vision statement for the Ballarat West Growth Zone.

 Ballarat West Growth Zone 

• The BWGZ task team, with agreement from the City’s senior officers, has continued to undertake a range of lobbying steps and media engagements to accelerate the achievement of both the Link Road (Stage One) and Employment Zone.
• The secretariat has continued to follow up on discussions around ‘ten thousand jobs in ten years’ to gain traction for this important initiative in the face of slow progress otherwise.
• City of Ballarat has undertaken a revised benefit cost analysis for Stage One of the Link Road which indicates a significant value associated with using the Link Road to trigger the creation of the Employment Zone. This value includes 3920 jobs, an output of $3.9b and value added of $1.4b. Stage One of the Road Link is estimated to cost $38m. The analysis contains a 4 year funding proposal of approximately $1m, $1.5m, $15m, $20m, and has been given encouragement from Ministers Madden and Pallas.
• The Employment Zone would be developed jointly by VicUrban and DSE.  
• The team is encouraged by the progress that has come as a result of the joint lobbying by the City and CfB and which we hope will lead to funding for stage one of the Link Road in this election cycle and initiated of the development of the Employment Zone under the auspices of the Regional Strategic Plan.

THE NEXT STEPS

1.    Continue lobbying at local, State and Federal level.  

2.    Co-ordinate development of 10,000 jobs in 10 years with stakeholders

3.    Continue to communicate and lobby at a local level including through the media and via the Round Table Dinner.

4.    Secure broader membership understanding and support in lobbying process.

 Last updated 12 October 2010