REGIONAL ECONOMIC NEWS SUMMARY –

May 2015

1 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Surf Coast Shire has signed off on a budget of $8m for the Torquay North Family and Children’s Centre. This includes a $4.6m Council contribution, a $1.6m State Government grant and $1.7m from the developer. A 2014 study indicated that the number of children aged up to four in Torquay and Jan Juc was expected to increase by 66% between 2013 and 2031, equating to 123 new four year old kinder places and 441 new long-day childcare places to meet anticipated demand.
Independent / Deakin University has been named at number 45 on the Times Higher Education list that ranks universities world wide and places Deakin number one in Victoria and sixth in Australia.
Geelong’s construction sector has almost $1b in projects underway and another $2b pending, including
Underway:
·  $277m Stage one Epworth Geelong Hospital, due for completion mid 2016
·  $170m Princes Highway duplication, Waurn Ponds to Winchelsea
·  $93m University Hospital Geelong expansion
·  $90m Baanip Blvd, section 4C Geelong Ring Road
·  $65m St Mary’s Terrace apartment development
·  $55m Centre for Advanced Design in Engineering Training
·  $45m Geelong Library and Heritage Centre
Pending:
·  $500m Port of Geelong infrastructure
·  $374m Princes Highway duplication, Winchelsea to Colac
·  $140m Geelong Performing Arts Centre
·  $110m Drysdale bypass, continuation of ring road
·  $100m Warralily Village Shopping Centre
·  $80m Balmoral Quay development, Rippleside
·  $90m Simonds Stadium stage four redevelopment
2 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Worksafe and the National Disability Insurance Agency are negotiating to share an office building in the CBD which would need to house up to 700 workers.
Budget: The State Government will commit $257m to build 21 new V/Line carriages and develop a new maintenance and stabling yard at Waurn Ponds.
The Geelong and Surrounds representation at the Victorian Regional Living Expo which included the City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Borough of Queenscliffe, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Victorian Regional Channels, the Geelong Advertiser, the Geelong Cats, the Geelong LLEN and the Good Fish Project won the Ministers award for best collaboration .
The 2015 Jobs4Geelong Jobs Fair designed to showcase opportunities in Geelong will be held at Deakin’s Waterfront Campus on 19-20 June and is expected to attract more than 2000 people. The Jobs Fair is an initiative of the Geelong Advertiser, Bay FM, Enterprise Geelong and the Federal Government who this year have also launched Geelong Business Boot Camp; ‘personal HR training’ for businesses.
4 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Viva Energy Australia Geelong employs about 400 staff and 350 contractors and injects more than $200m into Geelong region’s economy each year.
5 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / Construction has started on the next stage of the Princes Highway duplication between Winchelsea and Colac. The federal and state governments have each committed $185.5m to the project which is expected to be completed by mid-2019.
6 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / The $5m Defence Procurement Office in Geelong will market the capabilities of Victorian manufacturers to international defence contractors in a bid to entice them to the state as well as help local businesses become involved in the supply chain and form industry partnerships.
Geelong Advertiser / State Budget Report
$200m allocated to capital works in Geelong including:
·  $115m for a V/Line stabling and maintenance yard at Waurn Ponds, creating 100 construction jobs and 30 ongoing positions.
·  $70m for Simonds Stadium redevelopment over 2 years.
·  $30m for GPAC.
·  $17m Barwon and Margoneet Prison sewage upgrades.
·  $13.5m for the Portarlington Safe Harbour.
·  $9.8m for channel works at Geelong Port.
·  $3.5m for the Queenscliff Sports precinct.
·  $3m for stage 2 of the Leopold Community Hub.
·  $1.8m on road repairs in Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove.
Geelong’s share of an almost $3.3b investment in Victoria’s education system includes:
·  Upgrades to Drysdale, Moriac and Whittington primary schools, Highton kindergarten, Geelong High School, Bellarine Secondary College, Northern Bay P-12 and St Ignatius College.
·  Increased funding to Gordon TAFE.
·  Money towards establishing a Tech school.
·  An integrated Children’s Hub in Highton.
·  Delivering a P-12 college at Bannockburn as a public-private partnership which will see the property built by a private company then leased and maintained by the Government over a 25-30 year contract after which it will become a state asset.
Geelong will also benefit from a new $500m Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund that has earmarked:
·  $7.5m for the Geelong Regional Innovation and Investment Fund.
·  $3m for a Geelong manufacturing hub.
·  Funds for Avalon.
·  Funds for the Defence Procurement Office.
9 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / A 2 year agreement between the Linfox Group and military vehicle maker Rheinmetall under the defence project Land 121 Phase 3B will see a range of testing carried out at the Australian Automotive Research Centre near Anglesea which is owned by the group.
Mercedes-Benz has previously said it would set up a military vehicle assembly plant in Geelong employing up to 150 workers if it wins the Land 121 Phase 5B tender. Government consideration of their $600m bid is not expected until 2018.
John Stanhope has been elected Deakin University’s sixth Chancellor.
A new 10-year strategy, the G21 Region Opportunities for Work (GROW) program, which will encourage employers in the region to hire people from Corio, Norlane, Whittington and Colac, has been launched. The program aims to end intergenerational disadvantage and bring the unemployment rate in those areas down to the national average.
11 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / A proposed outdoor recreation complex in Bellbrae would create 44 jobs.
14 May 2015
Geelong Advertiser / REMPLAN economic modelling found Geelong’s Christmas celebrations contributed $18m of tourism and retail benefits to the Geelong economy.
15 May 2015
Independent / The City of Greater Geelong’s Central Geelong Taskforce has revealed plans for a $90m long term urban renewal project that will expand parkland in Central Geelong and relocate Moorabool St bus stops.
Aldi has lodged a development application to build a new store in Torquay which would create 15-20 jobs when opened in 2017. Coles is also planning to open in Torquay.
City of Greater Geelong Budget report:
·  Investment in new infrastructure.
·  4.5% rate rise.
·  10% rise in parking fees.
·  Increased transfer station fees.
·  Rise in pet registration fees.
·  6% rise in rates at City of Greater Geelong childcare centres.
·  30c increase in meals on wheels.
Viva energy has plans for a new large crude oil tank that would increase its storage by 43% and generate construction jobs.
Geelong Advertiser / Baptcare is building a $40m aged care, affordable housing and healthcare centre on the former Norlane Primary school site. With $7.25m in Commonwealth support, the project will provide 52 new affordable homes for families, older people and people with disabilities, a 90 bed residential aged care home, a community centre and a wellbeing centre, creating both ongoing and construction jobs and a flow on economic benefit to the local area.
Valuer-General figures show that all privately owned property in Greater Geelong has gained more than $5b since 2010 and that the value of all of the City of Geelong’s rateable property, including commercial properties is $43b.
16 May 2105
Geelong Advertiser / The Federal government is considering a proposal to establish a major office of The Bureau of Meteorology in Geelong.
21 May 2105
Geelong Advertiser / Deakin University has received a $4.7m federal research grant to establish an Industrial Transformation Research Hub to expand research into advanced carbon fibres, nanofibres and high performance novel fibres.
Enrolments at Deakin’s Waterfront and Waurn Ponds campuses have reached almost 10,000. The university generates $426m a year for the region.
25 May 2105
Geelong Advertiser / Diversitat’s World Beats Music Festival planned for 2017 will create 40 jobs for labourers, contractors and event management staff.
26 May 2105
Geelong Advertiser / Expressions of interest to design and build Worksafe’s Geelong headquarters open tomorrow.
Kelvin Spiller has been appointed as interim CEO of the City of Greater Geelong.
30 May 2105
Geelong Advertiser / Barwon Heath will close its on site laundry facilities LinenCare with the loss of 94 workers.
The Warralily development at Armstrong Creek which now has 3000 residents has created 3336 direct and 3452 indirect jobs. It is estimated that more than 600 contractors and tradespeople work on the development site each day currently building 250 new homes. $100m has been committed to future infrastructure, including sport and recreation facilities, schools and a supermarket.