BendigoWeekly www.bendigoweekly.com.au
ISSUE 1030 FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2017
JOBS PLUS Council joins hub push
By PETER KENNEDY
Photo: ANDREW PERRYMAN
An ABBAsolutely fabulous night AUSTRALIAN entertainment legend Rhonda Burchmore was a star of the Australian Mamma Mia and will bring her own spin to some classic ABBA hits later this month. She is bringing co-star Lara Mulcahy and their ABBAsolutely Fabulous show to the Capital Theatre but says theirs features a different approach. – Story Page 20
■
Dragon appeal scores funding win – Page 5
EIGHT council work sites located across the city’s central business district could be brought under the one roof for the first time as part of a proposal for a government jobs hub that could reinvigorate the heart of Bendigo. Planning to co-locate a raft of government agencies and council operations is well advanced, with a number of sites across the Bendigo central business district under consideration to host the proposed hub, including council’s main administration building on Lyttleton Terrace. As well as delivering major efficiencies to council and to other potential tenants of the government complex, the City of Greater Bendigo expects the hub would help stimulate and rejuvenate the CBD and the region’s broader economy. The Bendigo Weekly understands planning for new and improved court facilities in Bendigo is also well advanced, with a number of sites identified, including the current historic Pall Mall site. But in a new development, a component of the high profile Bendigo Kangan TAFE site has also been earmarked as an alternative option. The state government allocated almost $4 million in this year’s budget for the “modernisation and expansion” of Bendigo’s courts, and to ‘’develop plans to address current and future demand pressures so cases can be heard sooner”.
■
The successful funding and delivery of the jobs hub and new courts has been identified as a key factor in addressing current demand and the future growth of Bendigo. Mayor Margaret O’Rourke yesterday confirmed the City of Greater Bendigo was a key player in plans for the government jobs hub, and encouraged the state and federal governments to help
We have a real opportunity to have more jobs here maintain the city’s momentum as it prepares for the next generation of major projects, opportunities and growth. “We are always casting our minds forward and looking towards our city being one with a population of 200,000 and jobs are central to the city’s growth,” she said. “We have a real opportunity to have more jobs here, and we just can’t sit back and wait.” Cr O’Rourke said the 2013 independent review of council’s operations, which she was a part of, had highlighted inefficiencies within council, and bringing all of council’s relevant operations under the one roof as part of this proposal was being explored.
Continued Page 5
52-page property guide inside