October 2018

Dear Community Member,

Thank you for your ongoing interest in the Barwon Regional Partnership and in our 2018 Regional Assembly which took place in Wallington on the Bellarine Peninsula on 19 July 2018.

We had 190 community members and senior government leaders attend the Assembly – including the Premier – and we’re keen to keep you, our community, up to date with developments, and our work.

With that in mind, I am taking this opportunity to write to you as Chair of the Barwon Regional Partnership.

The 2018 Barwon Regional Assembly was the Partnership’s third major opportunity to consult with the community.

In addition to residents and representatives from business, local government and community organsations, the Assembly was attended by eight Victorian Government Ministers: the Premier Daniel Andrews, the Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaala Pulford, the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan, Minister for Tourism John Eren, Minister for Police Lisa Neville, Attorney-General Martin Pakula and Gayle Tierney, Minister for Training and Skills, and Corrections.

The Assembly provided the Barwon Regional Partnership with an opportunity to reflect on the work undertaken, and results, since its establishment in 2016. Participants were then invited to discuss a range of questions within the main themes of Young People Are Our Future, The Economy We Need and Pride in our Place. The latter theme was divided into two discussions, one focusing on coastal infrastructure and the other on housing for all.

Read more about the Assembly here.

As a Partnership, our role is now to take the messages and ideas from our 2018 Assembly, and from wider consultation, and action them. We presented on our 2018 Priorities to the Rural and Regional Ministerial Committee in early September.

Last year, we spoke to that Committee about our region’s needs and we are pleased to say that in this year’s Budget in May, the following funding was announced:

• $153.2 million for the Geelong City Deal, including development of the Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the revitalisation of central Geelong
• $1.3 million for Project Runway, a collaborative pilot project to grow industry and jobs and support scale-ups, innovation and research
• $1.6 million for Skilling the Bay to raise educational attainment levels and improve pathways to employment in the Geelong area
• Funding to expand the Geelong Project to four more government secondary schools to address student wellbeing, homelessness and disengagement
• $4.8 million to prepare the Barwon region for climate change with a focus on emergency management, maintenance and renewal of coastal infrastructure on public land, and landscape scale adaptation.

We will of course keep you abreast of announcements and initiatives relevant to our region, via our website, email and on our Partnership Facebook page.

Again, thank you for giving your time and insight, whether by attending the Assembly, a workshop, a meeting, or being active on our Engage page.

Your views are incredibly valuable and this process means our region has a direct voice into Government.

The Barwon Regional Partnership looks forward to keeping the conversation going.

Regards

Kylie Warne
Chair
Barwon Regional Partnership