Ballarat will host a NRL pre-season match for the first time when Melbourne Storm take on Newcastle Knights on 27 February 2022 at Mars Stadium in a win for rugby league fans and local businesses.

The Andrews Labor Government is helping agricultural and pastoral shows across the state bounce back from the pandemic, and welcome visitors through the gates again.

The Andrews Labor Government is helping more Victorians find work, with new data out today showing near record low unemployment for regional Victoria.

The Andrews Labor Government is investing to ensure kids in growing Ballarat have the high-quality school facilities they deserve for many years to come.

The Ballarat West Employment Zone (BWEZ) is going from strength-to-strength with five new tenants bringing more than 150 new jobs to the precinct – cementing BWEZ as an engine room for growth in regional Victoria.

Crews will commence major works at the level crossing at the earliest available opportunity following Thursday’s decision from Heritage Victoria.

More families in Ballarat and around regional Victoria are joining Australia’s largest-ever child and parent research project, helping drive better health outcomes for the next generation of young Victorians.

The Victorian Government is supercharging Ballarat’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic by investing in dozens of projects that create jobs, encourage visitors and support local communities.  

The Victorian Government is calling on all developers and landowners in regional Victoria to put forward any developments or vacant land that could be turned into social or affordable housing.

The Victorian Government is supporting local jobs with a new train-building contract with Alstom to design and build 25 new X’Trapolis 2.0 trains in Ballarat. The partnership with Alstom will support around 750 jobs in manufacturing and the supply chain – including a 60 per cent local content quota to support local skilled manufacturing jobs including trainee and apprenticeship positions.

A plan to turn the heart of Ballarat into a thriving university town is another step closer, with the Victorian Government investing in a masterplan for the transformational project. The key planning works, costing $6.11 million, will merge the Federation University campus with central Ballarat, transforming it into a contemporary and cosmopolitan destination for students and workers.

Support for licensed bars, cafes, hotels and clubs across regional Victoria will continue through September, and other businesses in regional areas will also be supported where ongoing restrictions severely affect operations. With the City of Ballarat entering a seven-day lockdown, all eligible businesses in that local government area will receive Business Costs Assistance Program and Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund payments for the last two weeks of September – along with more than 100,000 metropolitan businesses.

With multiple wastewater detections, multiple exposure sites and four positive cases, on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, the City of Ballarat will tonight enter a seven day lock down to slow the spread of the virus in the community.

Women from a range of diverse multicultural backgrounds will be able to support their business aspirations at a new fit-for-purpose hub in Ballarat, backed by funding from the Victorian Government.