Cash offered for employment zone

THE Labor Party has committed six-million-dollars to build basic infrastructure at the planned Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct if it retains government on Saturday.

Committed last week, the money would be handed over to the City of Greater Bendigo for works including power, water and roads at the proposed 280-hectare site south west of Marong.

In August least year the municipality purchased more than half the land needed for the site that sits on the corner of the Calder Alternative and Wimmera highways.

“I’m delighted to back this new employment precinct,” said Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards.

“This is an exciting and important investment for our community.”

When the City purchased 155-hectares at the site last year, CEO Craig Niemann said the region was suffering from a shortage of industrial land.

“What we haven’t got right now is large areas of land available for large developments,” he said.

“Growth in population means more jobs so we’ve got to create that from more of an industrial perspective as well as from a central Bendigo business perspective.”

That’s a perspective shared by Ms Edwards and Member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan.

A joint statement from the pair said there was “less than 100 hectares of currently available serviced industrial land in the region.”

“This is a critical investment for our Bendigo community,” said Ms Allan. “It demonstrates our long-term commitment to the future of the city.

“We’ll continue to back important development in Bendigo, boosting jobs and the local community.”