REGIONAL ECONOMIC NEWS SUMMARY –

December 2015

Enterprise Geelong monitors and keeps newspaper clippings of our regional papers on topics relating to our Economy.

4 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / The Gordon Tafe will receive a $6.2 million funding boost from the State Government to help drive growth in apprenticeships and traineeships. It follows $6million from the TAFE Back to Work Fund and $1million to establish two skills and jobs centres.
5 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / White Rabbit Brewery has opened in the Little Creatures precinct. It also has a retail component with focus on local produce.
8 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / The State Government will invest $3.5 million into the Drysdale Sports Precinct with first stage due for completion in 2017. The precinct features football and cricket oval, several multi-use fields, lighting and a relocatable pavilion (permanent to come in Stage 2).
Jetstar will fly from Avalon Airport to Hobart and Adelaide from March 2016. The new routes will bring 65,000 new seats per year to Avalon. Jetstar is committed to a decade at Avalon after it’s $26 million deal with the State Government and Linfox.
The Federal Government has provided the final $1million required to build Diversitat’s Healthy Living Centre for Ageing in Norlane. Construction, likely to start mid 2016, will create 24 jobs and the centre will employ 16 staff including 4 new positions.
9 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Ford will continue to employ 1200 designers and engineers in Australia after its factories close in October 2016. There is hope to increase that to 1500 over the coming years. Currently the factories employ 800 staff combined. The Ford testing track at You Yangs turned 50 years old today.
10 December 2015
G2I has invited tenders from privately-owned land to be the home of the major motocross centre proposed for the region. The facility, estimated to cost about $5 million, will replace McAdam Park in Barrabool, which will permanently close this month.
11 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Deakin University scientists have manufactured a revolutionary sponge-like material to clean up oil spills. The breakthrough is the result of support from the Australian Research Council and is ready to be trialled.
Date unknown
The Independent / Lethbridge Airport and Diversitat Healthy Ageing Centre have received $1.2million funding from the Australian Government’s National Stronger Regions Fund. The injection is predicted to create 38 new jobs in the region.
The Lethbridge fuel project will provide critical operational capability for fire-fighting assets and air ambulance helicopter services in Western Vic. Indications are that by 2021 it will have total economic impact of $4.44m per annum with at least 14 full time jobs.
Deakin University and CSIRO in Geelong will benefit from Malcolm Turnbull’s Innovation Agenda funding for research.
14 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Ridley Corporation and Sanctuary Living will lodge plans with the State Government for their new vision of a $4 billion multi-sport facility at the Cheetham salt flats area. The Government’s lengthy consultation process will result in a draft plan for the site slated for release in the latter half of 2016.
15 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Whittington median house prices rose by 39.1% over the past year whilst Barwon Heads rose by 23.3%. The state total increase for median house prices was only 3.8% while for regional Victoria there was no increase at all.
16 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Geelong Hospital new helipad should be in use from March 2016. The helipad is a $11.5 million component of the $100 million redevelopment of the hospital.
The Barwon and Moorabool rivers will form a key part of the State Government’s new $10 million plan to help save regional Victorian waterways. Over the next 5 years the government aims to fence waterways, add vegetation to riparian land and engage 200 landholders to help with the projects in the Corangamite area.
Two potential new growth areas outside the Geelong Ring Road to the north and west have been identified by COGG and the G21 Regional Growth Plan. The NORTHERN area of,1100ha in Lovely Banks west of Bacchus Marsh Rd has the potential to house up to 30,000 residents and the WESTERN area of 2300ha in Fyansford, Batesford and Bell Post Hill has the potential to house between 30,000 and 40,000 residents.
17 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Westfield’s $2 million food court upgrade has been completed in time for Christmas.
20 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / A NEW library is to be built at Leopold with the State Government will providing $750000 towards construction, work is to begin sometime in 2017.
24 December 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Geelong’s Northern Futures Program will continue to open employment doors for disadvantaged job-seekers now that it is accepted as an alternative to Work for the Dole. Since 2011 Northern Futures has enrolled more than 800 people and placed more than 600 in employment – a success rate of 82%. It has won national acclaim and international support.