NEWS STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
New jobs precinct push By Charlene Macaulay A Wyndham council director has called on the state government to turn around Werribee’s dole bludger reputation by committing to the East Werribee Employment Precinct. Council major projects director Kate Roffey said developing the East Werribee Employment Precinct was the key to tackling high unemployment in Wyndham and reducing traffic congestion to and from the city. “The key to unlocking capacity in both those areas is to create jobs here, in the municipality, so you don’t have to travel all the way to the city for work,” she said.
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It brings a conglomeration of jobs into - Kate Roffey the area
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In 2016, the state government identified the Australian Education City consortium as the preferred bidders for the precinct. The consortium, which has a vision for a $30 billion education, research and employment city at the site, has since been negotiating exclusively with the government. “The Australian Education City is really critical to that jobs creation, because it’s en masse,” Ms Roffey said. “When you’ve got something of this scale, it brings a conglomeration of jobs into the area across different sectors and from that you get knock-on economic benefits in other areas.” Ms Roffey’s comments come after the state Department of Human Services and Australian Federal Police launched a taskforce to crack down on areas known to be hot spots for welfare non-compliance, including Werribee.
12 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY \ AUGUST 22, 2018
Mayor Peter Maynard and Kate Roffey at the employment precinct’s proposed site. (Damjan Janevski)
“This is the exact reason why we need something like the Australian Education City here,” Ms Roffey said. Ms Roffey said while she wasn’t privy to the government’s conversations with the consortium, she was still hopeful that the project would go ahead.
A spokesperson from the state Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources said the government was still considering the consortium’s employment precinct proposal. “The proposal is complex and the timing of the process reflects this,” she said.
Government tenant secured A new state government department will make Williams Landing home in 2019. Construction has begun on a new four-storey building along Overton Road, that will be fully leased to the Victorian State Government (Minister for Finance) for at least 15 years. The building will form part of the greater Williams Landing Town Centre and will accommodate up to 320 employees. Construction is expected to be complete by October next year. The project is the third commercial building built in Williams Landing by developer Cedar Woods, which is also responsible for the Target Australia headquarters set to be complete at the end of this year. Cedar Woods chief operating officer Patrick Archer said the new development proved Williams Landing was quickly becoming a white-collar employment precinct. “Employers continue to value our excellent train and road access and proximity to the Melbourne CBD and western suburbs workforce, along with the retail, leisure and services amenities at Williams Landing Town Centre,” he said. Wyndham council future focused economy portfolio holder Walter Villagonzalo added: “With Wyndham outgrowing cities like Greater Geelong, the jobs that this project will bring to our city are indeed welcome”. Charlene Macaulay