Golden Plains Youth Hub has officially opened and is set to support improved health, social, education and employment outcomes for young people.

Located next to Bannockburn YMCA and across from Bannockburn P-12 College, the youth hub has undergone a significant exterior and interior renovation to create a purpose-built, accessible and inclusive youth facility that will help provide stronger connections between the local community and services young people need.

The hub has been a priority project for G21 which has helped to advocate for a revamped space to build a strong, resilient youth culture connected to its community.

After several come and try sessions held last month, the hub will now hold regular activities, and serve as a meeting space for the Youth Activation Committee, the Pride LGBTIQA+ group, and the FReeZa Youth Events Crew.

The youth hub was funded with over $271,000 from the State Government, $100,00 from the Federal Government alongside $100,000 from Bannockburn and District Grants and over $90,000 in-kind contribution from Golden Plains Shire.

Geelong has been officially confirmed as one of four regional hubs for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with the state’s regions set to shine on the world stage.

Geelong’s Kardinia Park Stadium will host T20 cricket matches as part of Victoria 2026.

In addition, Geelong will also host aquatics, para swimming, beach volleyball, gymnastics, hockey, table tennis, para table tennis, triathlon and para triathlon, with the venues for each sport to be determined as part of the Games’ final sport program.

Work on Kardinia Park’s $142 million Stage 5 redevelopment is already underway, delivering a 14,000 capacity, two-tier northern stand that replaces the old Ford Stand and Ablett Terrace and boosts the stadium’s capacity to more than 40,000 people. Previous stages of the redevelopment have delivered new stands, broadcast-quality lighting and function rooms.

A process to assess what further infrastructure upgrades will be required to host these events as part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games has commenced.

Victoria 2026 will deliver significant economic and social benefits to the Geelong region, including housing and world-class sports facilities. With up to 2,950 athletes and officials set to be housed in Geelong’s athlete village, the region will benefit longer term from more affordable housing following the Games.

Currently, the G21 region needs enormous investment in infrastructure to keep pace with the incredible growth we are ­experiencing.

Housing, initially for athletes, sporting facilities, ­improved transport networks are all urgently needed and the Commonwealth Games would provide the impetus to quickly get on with this work.

An athletes’ village or vill­ages would provide a brilliant opportunity to build affordable and key worker housing in central Geelong and around the region.

We currently have a severe housing shortage, which is one of our biggest economic and social challenges.

An athletes’ village could be converted to meet Geelong’s ambition to have 12,000 more residents living in the CBD.

Geelong is also expected to benefit greatly from the influx of visitors and sporting fans travelling to watch the Games be played at Kardinia Park and other venues across the region.

The $15.9 million redevelopment of the Queenscliff Ferry Terminal is taking shape with the foundations and cement poured for the ground floor and level one.

The project is on track for completion later this year and will improve services between Queenscliff and Sorrento offering passengers a world class, enjoyable experience with modern facilities and bathrooms, safer access, improved car parking and opportunities for retail such as cafés and tourism ventures.

The project will not only improve services across Port Phillip Bay to Sorrento, it will generate local employment opportunities by supporting up to 85 new jobs during construction and an additional 25 new ongoing jobs within the ferry operations.

The development of a new ferry terminal at Queenscliff offers significant benefits to visitors, including safer access for pedestrians, high quality experiences and improved disability access.

Workers will be able to camp in tents on private property this summer as the accommodation and labour shortage facing our region reaches crisis point.

Temporary worker accommodation permits will allow workers camp or reside at homes and businesses within Colac Otway Shire between 1 November and 30 April each holiday season, while in the Surf Coast Shire, seasonal workers have been given the green light to camp in backyards for up to 120 days.

The plan is one of the many short-term initiatives to attract hospitality workers to tourist hotspots such as Lorne and Apollo Bay, where a lack of affordable housing is forcing some hospitality businesses to restrict opening hours just as they are trying to get back on their feet after nearly two years interrupted by the pandemic.

G21 is calling for state and governments to step in a provide temporary housing this summer as well as a long-term plan to address the shortage of affordable key worker and social housing across the region.

Listen to G21 CEO Giulia Baggio being interviewed by Patricia Karvelas on RN Drive.

G21 congratulates the Federal Government on the announcement of a $1 billion contract with Hanwha Defense Australia to establish operations in Geelong. Our region’s advanced manufacturing credentials played a key role in securing this significant project.

The government will partner with Hanwha to create an Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence, creating 300 jobs in our region and establishing a further strategic defence industry hub and export opportunities.

Work on the new facility is expected to commence in 2022.

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-13/australia-and-south-korea-billion-dollar-defence-contract/100694638