Mayor's Message - Friday 29 July

29 July 2022 1:30pm

Aerial Image of Ballarat Train Station Precinct

In the last couple of weeks, the reality that Ballarat is going to be beamed to the world in 2026 through the hosting of a number of Commonwealth Games events is starting to sink in. It is a once in a generation opportunity and hence why we ourselves are going for gold through stating our bid to also host the prestigious marathon event, the rowing and mountain biking.

But as import as the actual event hosting is to the City of Ballarat, so too is the legacy that an event of such public magnitude leaves behind for our community. As much as there is a great opportunity to showcase our city on a world stage, there is also a massive opportunity to deliver a legacy investment in housing, transport, our community spaces and tourism assets, and in local sporting infrastructure.

And it’s for this reason that ever since our city was announced as one of four regional hubs, the City of Ballarat has worked in partnership with the Victorian Government, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee and the Office of the Commonwealth Games to prepare for the Games.

Victorian Government investment needed to stage the Games will accelerate the delivery of essential infrastructure already identified in multiple master plans and strategies adopted by our Council; in turn delivering on multiple Council and community priorities and bringing benefits across the municipality and the region.

This is an opportunity to bring forward important work to support our growing city that might otherwise have taken 5, 10 or 20 years to be funded and built. Notably areas of social and affordable housing, Ballarat Railway Station Disability Discrimination Act compliance, walking and cycling connections, sporting infrastructure upgrades and more are all within the scope of this forward thinking.

The City of Ballarat is working hard to realise such opportunity with the Victorian Government in order to create a legacy of transformational community infrastructure that will benefit the Ballarat community for generations.

Mayor Daniel Moloney