The Victorian Government is helping the gold rush town of Talbot to grow by providing more housing options for workers in Central Victoria.
Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas today visited Talbot to announce $630,000 to go towards future development in the town, which has been identified as a growth corridor for the region.
The Growing Talbot program will enable Central Goldfields Shire to plan for a much-needed centralised sewerage system in consultation with the community and to identify Talbot's future subdivision and development zones.
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in unprecedented numbers of people moving from metropolitan Melbourne to regional and rural Victoria, increasing demand on the already tight housing market in many areas.
The Victorian Government has previously invested in the Talbot station upgrade which has positioned the town to support growth and provide affordable land and housing options for nearby towns including Maryborough, Ballarat and Castlemaine.
The Growing Talbot project complements the Victorian Government's $5 million Regional Workforce Pilots which are strategically located across the state to help regional and rural communities attract the workers they need to grow.
The pilots have been designed to tackle housing shortages and other barriers to regional workforce attraction, which are threatening economic recovery and growth.
The Regional Workforce Pilots and other regional housing initiatives build on the Labor Government's historic $5.3 billion Big Housing Build to construct more than 12,000 new social and community homes throughout the state - with $1.25 billion being invested in regional Victoria.
The initiatives are part of the Government's almost $30 billion investment in regional and rural Victoria since 2015, supporting thousands of jobs and contributing to the lowest regional unemployment rate in the nation.
For more information about these initiatives visit rdv.vic.gov.au.
As stated by Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas
"We understand that workforce and housing shortages are a real issue in our regional towns - that's why we are investing in projects like Growing Talbot to boost housing stock and grow employment options."
As stated by Member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford
"We're backing Talbot's future by helping to lay the groundwork for extra housing in a town that's ideally situated to ease pressure on places like Maryborough, Ballarat and Castlemaine."
As stated by Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Cr Chris Meddows-Taylor
"Talbot, Maryborough and the whole of Central Goldfields Shire will benefit from this fantastic announcement. It will enable the Shire to benefit from population growth, new jobs and expanded opportunity."
