Geelong mayor wants City Deal funds faster

IT HAS been three months since the timeline for Geelong’s City Deal was locked in, and the City of Greater Geelong’s mayor is hoping for faster progress on the long-awaited convention centre.

The implementation plan for the $370 million, 10-year deal between local, Victorian and federal governments was officially launched on October 8.

There are more than a dozen commitments in the Geelong City Deal with about 30 separate elements to be completed.

The $16 million redevelopment of the Queenscliff Ferry Terminal was the first commitment to see action, going to tender in November 2019. Works are expected to start on site in April.

Elsewhere, as part of the Revitalising Central Geelong commitment, the funding for the next stage of the Green Spine in central Geelong will come through the City Deal and the Gheringhap Street Drain works are nearly complete.

At a media briefing on Monday, City of Greater Geelong mayor Stephanie Asher said the council had its eye on much more substantial City Deal projects, such as the $174 million convention centre slated to be built in the car park next to Deakin University’s Waterfront campus.

“The convention centre and the civic accommodation this year are the two big-ticket building conversations.

“The day after I was elected mayor, I went to Canberra, and we talked City Deal. Most of the conversation was around thanking the various people for their support, but then the next question from us was ‘when is the money going to flow?’ and we’re still hearing ‘soon’.”

According to the implementation plan, the Victorian and federal governments are due to accept the addendum to the business case for the convention centre in the first quarter of this year.

Cr Asher said she was yet to see the convention centre’s full business case, but she expected the subject would be “front and centre on the agenda” at a G21 meeting to be held in about a fortnight’s time.

The Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre will incorporate a 1,000-seat plenary and at least 3700sqm multi-purpose space that can be configured to incorporate an exhibition hall, breakout rooms and a banquet room.

The development of the precinct will also explore the feasibility of a new hotel, retail, restaurants and other commercial offerings.

To read or download the implementation plan, head to infrastructure.gov.au/cities/city-deals/geelong.