Detectives from the Illicit Firearms Squad seized 14 firearms and a range of drugs following a search of a property in Gordon, just out of Ballarat, last week as part of an investigation into firearms trafficking and manufacture.

A warrant was executed at the Portland Flat Road address on Thursday, 26 October after information was received from the ABF.

During the search of the property, police located seven handguns including four home-made weapons, four longarms, three imitation firearms, a home-made flame thrower, firearm parts, ammunition, a 3D printer and equipment.

Police also located more than 70 mature cannabis plants, cannabis saplings and a small quantity of methylamphetamine.

A 47-year-old Gordon man was arrested and interviewed by police. He was subsequently charged with the following:

• Possess a traffickable quantity of firearms

• Prohibited person possess a firearm

• Manufacture a firearm

• Possess parts for manufacturing a firearm

• Prohibited person possess an imitation firearm

• Prohibited person possess a prohibited weapon

• Possess cartridge ammunition

• Cultivate cannabis

• Possess cannabis

• Possess methylamphetamine

The man has been bailed to appear at the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates’ Court on 15 December, 2023. The investigation remained ongoing.

The Illicit Firearms Squad is based within Victoria Police’s Crime Command and targets the manufacture, trafficking and use of illicit firearms across Victoria.

Anyone with information about illicit firearms is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report via the crimestoppers website.

The City of Ballarat is encouraging the wider community to support their favourite shops and businesses in the Bridge Mall in the lead up to Christmas.

With less than nine weeks of retail trade until Christmas, there has never been a better time to check out the progress in construction works for the $18.6 million Bridge Mall redevelopment while supporting local traders.  

All shops are open as normal and the City of Ballarat is encouraging shoppers to continue to visit the great local businesses in the area.  

At the Peel Street end of the mall, the bulk excavation and concreting are almost complete, forging the base for the road alignment and the planned central event space.  

This week, night works began at the front of businesses on the south side of this construction area. Next week, night works will take place at the front of businesses on the north side. All businesses will remain easily accessible for customers during trading hours with works being conducted at night to minimise disruption to businesses.

Works on the Grenville Street section of the redevelopment are also forging ahead with ongoing underground service works, including signals and water lines.

There have been changes to the staging of works in the mall during the busy pre-Christmas period which will provide additional space for shoppers towards the Peel Street end. This new staging better aligns with forecast delivery dates for paving while enabling construction to remain on schedule for completion mid-2024.

Under the new staging, temporary fencing will be removed from most of the new concreted works at the Peel Street end in the next few weeks.

Lower fencing protecting garden beds and some materials storage will remain until paving of the area and installation of the new street furniture, landscaping and kerbing, which will commence early next year.

Excavation works will shortly begin in the mid-section of the Bridge Mall.

In the lead up to Christmas, pedestrian access has been improved and widened from Sturt Street into the mall while the newly concreted area of the mall will be available for traders to use for Christmas promotions and activities.

The City of Ballarat is working with contractor 2Construct, the Bridge Mall Business Association and all traders to minimise the impact of construction as much as possible. However, as with any major development, there will be unavoidable impacts to businesses and community while construction occurs.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson encouraged the community to get behind their favourite businesses in the mall this Christmas.

“I encourage everyone to shop local and support Bridge Mall traders this Christmas,” he said.

“The lead up to Christmas is a critical time for all of our retailers, especially here in the Bridge Mall this year.

“While the works are ongoing, it is exciting to see concreting almost finished at the Peel Street end of the mall and the redevelopment beginning to take shape.

“Once completed, the Bridge Mall revitilisation project will bring renewed heart and soul to this historic retail precinct in the centre of Ballarat.”

Bridge Mall Business Association President Wendy McLachlan said it is exciting to see the progress of the redevelopment and the commencement of works at Norwich Plaza, all in the lead up to Christmas.

“Christmas in the mall will be bigger than ever with all our events planned as usual, Santa will be arriving early December, and our markets will continue in the new space available as well as at Bakery Hill,” she said.

“We will be holding our Christmas festival as usual in the new space, as well as our Secret Santa gift voucher giveaway, which will be bigger than ever this year.

“All businesses will be full of stock for Christmas and easily accessible from all entrances. Support local while enjoying the festive season.”

The Bridge Mall redevelopment will feature a landscaped entry into the mall, a shared streetscape with one-way, low speed vehicle access and a dynamic new play space.

The redevelopment also includes a portal to the Yarrowee River flowing beneath the mall, smart street lighting and projections, limited parking and better access for people of all abilities.  

City of Ballarat residents are being invited to provide feedback on how the community can work to achieve zero recoverable waste going to landfill by 2040.

The City of Ballarat has been encouraging local residents to provide feedback at a range of community forums and online via the City of Ballarat’s mySay website.

The consultation will inform future strategies which will cover the City of Ballarat’s non-kerbside services, such as hard waste collection, litter and illegal dumping, waste education and will also seek to identify local waste reduction and diversion targets.

Questions in the consultation include:

• How should we remove waste, for example hard waste, that doesn’t go into your bins, from residential dwellings?
• What opportunities are there to change the way we reuse, repair, and recycle? These could include clothing swaps, considered purchasing and repair opportunities.
• What type of waste and resource recovery services do commercial and industrial businesses want from the City of Ballarat?
• How do we effectively manage waste and recycling from our public spaces?    

Those eager to get involved still have time to visit mysay.ballarat.vic.gov.au to provide feedback. The survey and consultation will close at 5pm on Friday 10 November.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson encouraged the community to get involved in the future of how the city reuses, repairs and recycles and to also provide effective waste removal solutions.

“Waste and recycling is something that impacts every household and the commercial and industry sectors,” he said.

“The City of Ballarat is committed to reducing waste going to landfill and creating a circular economy. The community’s input is a vital step to mapping our future direction in resource recovery and waste management.” 

A man has been charged following a house fire in the Ballarat suburb of Wendouree last week.

Emergency services were called to reports of a large amount of smoke from a house on Park Street about 4.15pm last Thursday October 12.

The owner of the property, a 28-year-old Sunshine West man was present at the time of the fire but was not injured.

The house sustained significant damage before being extinguished by fire authorities.

Officers arrested a 34-year-old man of no fixed address at the scene shortly afterwards.

He had since been charged with criminal damage by fire and was listed to face Ballarat Magistrates’ Court last Friday.

The exact cause of the fire was being investigated with an arson chemist attending the property.

It is being treated as suspicious at this stage.

Anyone with information or CCTV/dashcam footage was urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

The jewel in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens’ crown, the Robert Clark Conservatory, is set to receive a facelift.

The conservatory is now temporarily closed to the public as of Monday, October 16 through to early December to undergo a number of renovations including resealing 400 square meters of floor space, replacing all blinds and undertaking roof vent maintenance.

The $75,000 project, funded through the City of Ballarat’s Asset Renewal budget, will be the first major renovation on the 28-year-old facility.

Opened in 1995, the Robert Clark Conservatory was built as part of a significant bequest of Bob Clark in honour of his grandfather Robert Clark – co-founder of The Courier newspaper.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the essential work would ensure the conservatory remained the centrepiece for events such as the Ballarat Begonia Festival and its iconic season floral displays for decades to come.

“This is one of my favourite buildings in Ballarat and while it is still incredibly beautiful, it is starting to show its age in certain areas and needs a little work,” he said.

“This restoration is again another example of delivering a better Ballarat for the hundreds of thousands of people that flock to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens every year.

“I can’t wait to see the Robert Clark Conservatory in December looking even more beautiful and filled to the brim with a Summer display of Hydrangeas, Fuchsias and Pelargoniums.”

The restoration work on the Robert Clark Conservatory comes at a busy time for the Ballarat Botanical Gardens with significant landscaping taking place around the Fernery.

The design and landscape delivery of the fernery project is being funded by the City of Ballarat ($340,000) together with funding of $150,000 from Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens Grant Program, the Friends of Ballarat Botanical Gardens ($200,000) and Ballarat Botanical Gardens Foundation ($50,000).

The landscaping work is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2024 Ballarat Begonia Festival. 

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson has issued a public statement following The Voice to Parliament federal referendum outcome.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson: “We acknowledge the outcome of The Voice to Parliament referendum and first and foremost our thoughts go toward our community in Ballarat and I ask that everyone remains respectful of each other.

“We have seen in the lead up to the result of this vote the impact on individuals and communities and it is very important that we are considerate of one another. We are especially mindful of First Nations people in our community and the need to extend respect and kindness both now and in the weeks ahead.

“The City of Ballarat recognises and values the work and teachings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities across this region, and we remain committed to working together and emphasise ways to improve quality of life for all of our residents.

“Our focus as a Council continues to be at a local level, including supporting the work of our Koori Engagement Action Group, finalising our fourth Reconciliation Action Plan 2023-2025, which outlines the organisation’s commitment to supporting the reconciliation process and continuing to mark significant dates on our annual calendar such as NAIDOC Week and National Sorry Day, which educates the community and celebrates the contributions of our First Nations people.”

Ballarat’s biggest celebration for children is coming back and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Children’s Week 2023 returns from 23-28 October and will this year be expanded to offer more opportunities for families and young children to be involved throughout the week.

Children’s Week is celebrated nationally and recognises the skills, talents, achievements and rights of children.

The 2023 theme is “children have the right to relax, play and to take part in activities they enjoy”, which is drawn from a simplified version of Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  

This year, there will be multiple free events held at various City of Ballarat venues including Parent Place, Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre, Ballarat Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and the libraries.

The events will include craft sessions, interactive story times and physical activities. All activities are family friendly and aimed at children aged 0-5 years with some activities available for primary school aged children as well.  

A particular highlight will be an intergenerational playgroup at the Robert Clarke Centre in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens on Tuesday 24 October, designed to be similar to ABC television series ‘Old People’s Home For Four-Year-Olds’. The event will be held in conjunction with the Senior’s Festival, which is running throughout October.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson encouraged anybody with young children to attend.

“The City of Ballarat is a signatory to the Child Friendly Cities and Communities Charter, and we have a strong commitment to listening to children and creating opportunities for children to participate,” he said.

“Our Municipal Early Years Plan 2022–2026 highlights the importance of listening to children and we will be consulting with children at all events throughout the week.

“The events held across the week are all free of charge and at locations that are accessible for everyone. There are a range of activities to suit different interests and we aim to provide inclusive, engaging activities.”

Local youth aged between 15 and 25 are being encouraged to participate in the City of Ballarat’s Biodiversity Youth Forum this Saturday.

This Saturday, October 21, people in this age group can get directly involved in the conversation at the forum being held at the Warrenheip Hall from 10am to 4pm.  

The forum is seeking the views of our youngest community members to identify priority areas for the next five years to improve the health and safety of our environment.  

Forum participants will review previous community feedback, identify priority areas and discuss ways that our youth can help the environment.

City of Ballarat Councillor Belinda Coates said this is an important community consultation and our young people are best placed to determine our priorities.

“We need the passion, skills and knowledge of our youngest community members to determine the future of biodiversity in our region,” she said.

“They are the custodians of the environment and represent the next generation of leaders who will shape our future.

“I encourage our youth to get involved and share your views to make sure that we take the right steps to improve the health of our environment.”

Forum participants will explore the feedback gathered so far from a range of community conversations about the natural environment and how we can better manage it.

The Biodiversity Strategy will align with the Council Plan 2021-2025 goal to ‘develop policy guidance on biodiversity and natural resources management’ and supports the Ballarat Strategy 2040.

Forum participants will be financially compensated for their time, with limited spaces available and registration essential. Those keen to participate can register interest for the Youth Forum event by emailing sustainableenvironment@ballarat.vic.gov.au.

Feedback will help to inform the Draft Biodiversity Strategy which is expected to go before the council for consideration later this year. 

Ballarat area residents are being encouraged to spring clean their homes and safely dispose of unwanted household chemicals with the free ‘Detox your Home’ event taking place this Saturday.

Held in partnership with the City of Ballarat, the Sustainability Victoria household collection event provides the community with an opportunity to dispose of chemicals without harming your health or the environment.

‘Detox your Home’ will be held on Saturday 21 October from 9am to 2pm at the City of Ballarat’s Operations and Environment depot car park at 2 Trewin Street, Wendouree.

Residents are encouraged to register for this free event at sustainability.vic.gov.au/detoxyourhome. Detox your Home is a drive-through and contactless event.

Qualified chemists will sort the chemicals, placing them in sealed drums to be transported to a specialist waste treatment plant.  

Most of the chemicals collected will be recycled or used for suitable purposes. Any chemicals that cannot be repurposed will be treated and safely disposed of.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said household chemicals such as bleach, pesticides, weed killers, cleaning products, cosmetics and cooking oil should never be put in rubbish bins or poured down the drain.

“Disposing of these chemicals responsibly reduces the risk of poisoning to family and pets, it keeps toxic chemicals out of waterways and helps to avoid environmental pollution and fire hazards,” he said.

“The ‘Detox your Home’ event also recycles many of these products, diverting them from going into landfill.”

Detox your Home accepts:

• Acids and alkalis
• Aerosol cans
• Ammonia based cleaners
• Anti-freeze, coolant
• Brake fluid
• Car body filler
• Car care products and waxes
• Cooking oil
• Cosmetics, nail polish and remover
• Detergents, bleach, disinfectants and drain cleaner
• Fertilisers
• Fire extinguishers
• Floor-care products and waxes
• Fuels, including petrol, diesel and kerosene
• Glues, including water-based and solvents
• Hand sanitiser
• Herbicides and weed killers
• Insect spray and pesticides, including rat poison
• Oven cleaner
• Pool chemicals
• Solvents
• Thinners, turps and paint stripper
• Transmission fluid
• Wood preservations and finishes

For a full list of chemicals accepted visit sustainability.vic.gov.au/accepteditems 

The City of Ballarat is partnering with a range of community advocate bodies to shine a light on the harm caused by gambling in Ballarat.

As part of Gambling Harm Awareness Week, the Ballarat Gambling Harm Prevention Taskforce will hold a powerful presentation and panel discussion at Ballarat Town Hall tomorrow, Tuesday 17 October.

Featuring an exhibition from creative group Three Sides of the Coin and a panel discussion with people sharing their own lived gambling experiences, the day seeks to highlight the impact gambling has on the community.

The free presentation is the result of a City of Ballarat collaboration with Cafs, Ballarat Community Health, the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, and the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House.

This year’s focus is on how to have a conversation with someone whose gambling is becoming a concern.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it was important to highlight the harm that gambling was causing people in Ballarat.

“In the 2022/23 financial year, the Ballarat community lost $64.3 million on electronic gaming machines – that’s a staggering amount,” Cr Hudson said.

“Last year the City of Ballarat released a Minimising Gambling Harm Social Policy Position Statement that highlighted a commitment to reducing gambling harm across the municipality, as well as the Gambling Harm Minimisation Policy.

“We acknowledge the regulation of gaming machines primarily rests with the State Government, but we uphold our responsibility to improve community health and wellbeing in striving to lessen harm to the community caused by gambling.

“I encourage people to sign up and attend this event as it promises to be both powerful and informative.”

Cafs CEO, Wendy Sturgess said the partnership with the City of Ballarat was crucial in addressing the harm caused by gambling.

“At Cafs we work with people from right across the community who are impacted by gambling harm in all its forms and every year that number remains stubbornly high,” she said.

“Working with the City of Ballarat to deliver forums such as this gives us a valuable opportunity to educate people about the signs that someone may be experiencing gambling harm and to highlight the services that are available to anyone who needs support.”

Gambling Harm Awareness Week encourages people to talk about the harms associated with gambling and the effects they can have on communities, families, friends, workplaces and individuals. Gambling can affect self-esteem, relationships, physical and mental health, work performance and social life.

The week focuses on personal stories of recovery, which are powerful because they offer a sense of hope and optimism. They also encourage open community discussions that help to reduce stigma, which can be a barrier to help seeking.

To find out more about the event and to register for catering purposes, visit the Ballarat East Neighbourhood House website.  

October has arrived so it’s time to pump up those tyres and get excited for a month filled with “awesome bike ride adventures”, say organisers with Ballarat’s Biketober.  

More than 100 people have already registered to take part in Ballarat’s Biketober, with more encouraged to join in for a ‘wheelie’ good time.  

Employers across Ballarat and beyond are setting up teams for some healthy, fun competition across the city.  

The competition is not about kilometres, but rather participation, so everyone can join in.

The aim of Biketober is simple – to get more people to enjoy the benefits of riding bikes.

There are many safe routes to try out in Ballarat, but if you are not sure where to start, why not try one of the Ride Ballarat loops:

• The City Ride (5km)  
• The Lake Ride (6km)  
• The Victoria Park Loop Ride (5km)  
• The Arch of Victory Ride (2.4km)  

More information about Ride Ballarat can be found on the Visit Ballarat website.

The City of Ballarat is committed to delivering initiatives designed to encourage and support the community to enjoy the many benefits of walking and cycling for commuting, exercise or just enjoying moving around Ballarat in spring.  

The Ballarat Cycle Action Plan 2017 – 2025 is key to encouraging people to jump on a bike and start to enjoy the trail network.  

The plan prioritises delivery of safe and continuous routes, which will have the greatest impact on increasing the number of everyday cyclists and give confidence to those who are interested in riding, but not confident to share the road with cars.

Ballarat is a bike-friendly city, anyone who needs a bike and cannot afford one, has access to one via a dedicated volunteer organisation the Y Ballarat’s program, Recranked. They recycle bikes and donate them back to the community.

The initiative has recycled more than 3,500 bikes since it first began in 2013 and focuses on keeping bikes out of landfill and supporting those in the community that are not able to access bikes or other transport.  

Recranked Coordinator Wallace Martin said the group has touched thousands of lives, by providing a bike to them, when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to access one.  

“Being able to provide people with the opportunity to ride a bike is incredibly fulfilling, I am an avid bike rider and being able to share it with others is amazing,” he said.  

City of Ballarat Councillor, Cr Belinda Coates said Ballarat is becoming a more attractive and enjoyable place for people to ride.  

“Ballarat has many safe routes to ride your bike along, it’s a perfect place to get back on the bike and spend some time outdoors enjoying our city on your two wheels,” she said.

“There are so many benefits to riding a bike, from improved mental and physical well-being, a healthier planet and more affordable and efficient travel.  

“Biketober is all about celebrating each of these benefits and sharing them with the world.”

So, push those pedals, spread the bike love, and join the movement to get more people riding bikes this October! Join the fun now at www.lovetoride.net/ballarat.

Echo Taskforce detectives have been investigating the shooting of a senior Bandidos outlaw motorcycle gang member in Ballarat over the past weekend.

A 29-year-old Sebastopol man presented at a hospital in Ballarat with a gunshot wound about 1.20am on Sunday 1 October.

Police believe the man was shot in the vicinity of the Bandidos club house.

He sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident comes after members of the Bandidos gang descended on Ballarat for their national run.

Echo and VIPER Taskforce officers, supported by local police and specialist units, monitored the event to ensure public safety.

Detectives are working to establish the exact circumstances around the incident and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone who with information was urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au .

There has been a significant rise in visitor numbers to the Art Gallery of Ballarat, showing a positive trend in audiences returning post COVID.

Newly released figures show that during the 2022/23 financial year, the Art Gallery of Ballarat had 113,734 visitors, averaging 9,479 visitors per month.

The annual visitation represented a 33 percent increase on the previous year and indicates the gallery is well on the way to getting back to pre-COVID visitation levels, when almost 190,000 visitors were recorded in 2018/19.  

The Art Gallery of Ballarat Shop also achieved a significant increase in revenue in 2022/23, recording a 32 per cent increase in revenue on the previous financial year.

City of Ballarat Councillor, Cr Mark Harris praised Gallery Director Louise Tegart and the entire team of staff for their hard work and outstanding results.

“The Art Gallery of Ballarat is such an incredible asset for the entire city and to see it performing so well is a justification of all the crucial background work over many years,” he said.

“The programming that we saw in 2022/23, most notably our collection exhibition Beating about the Bush showcasing Australian impressionist paintings and contemporary photography and the paired exhibitions Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & Watercolours and In the Company of Morris, were both an outstanding success.

“It’s an exciting time for the gallery and the future is looking very bright with a new strategic plan also underway.

“I’ve been told that what is motivating the gallery team now is how much more can be done with this work already completed. There are exciting plans for the years to come.”

Highlights from the 2022/23 financial year included:

• Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & Watercolours and In the Company of Morris: The Pre-Raphaelites was a touring exhibition from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. It was presented in Australia exclusively by the Art Gallery of Ballarat. In the Company of Morris showcased an exhibition of historical and contemporary Australian artworks demonstrating the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites and in particular William Morris. Both exhibitions were run concurrently.
• Partnership with multiple City of Ballarat events: including the Skywhales launch at the Eastern Oval for the 2022 Ballarat Winter Festival; an Art Gallery of Ballarat outreach activity in the Botanical Gardens for the Ballarat Begonia Festival; hosting the launch of the Be Hear Now music festival and presenting a series of events for the Ballarat Heritage Festival. The Art Gallery of Ballarat also partnered with the City of Ballarat Early Years team to present an outdoor Family Day and Ballarat’s Biggest Playgroup 2023.
• A $50,000 grant through the Department of Transport’s Flexible Local Transport Program: The grant program helped address issues preventing those in regional and remote areas from attending the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The funding enables the gallery to host students from schools that don’t usually have the resources to travel for a gallery visit. During 2022/23, the scheme brought in 527 participants from 21 schools from Western Victoria, who travelled a total of 2,648km with an average cost of $1,151.09 per trip and program continues into the current financial year.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat is currently a key venue for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2023, presenting the high-profile international exhibitions People Power – Platon and Instant Warhol exhibitions as well as five other exhibitions, including of works by local Ballarat artists.  

A busy Ballarat intersection became safer this month following the installation of a new roundabout. 

The upgrade to the Ring Road/Gregory Street intersection in Alfredton was jointly funded by the Australian Government and the City of Ballarat.

The $1.1 million project received over $560,000 in Australian Government funding under the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program and the City of Ballarat contributed $573,102 from its 2022-23 budget.

Work started in February 2023 and is now fully complete. Across all four phases of the LRCI program to date, City of Ballarat has been allocated almost $11 million to fund local road and community infrastructure priorities. 

Of nine local projects nominated under the program to date, four have now been completed.  The LRCI program is currently funding more than 9,500 projects nationwide.

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and Federal Member for Ballarat Catherine King: “Programs such as LRCI are important to local communities and support local governments, especially in the regions, in funding priority infrastructure projects. This new roundabout at Gregory St and Ring Road is a fantastic example of that. 

“We’re working in partnership with City of Ballarat, and councils across Australia to deliver the upgrades that get people home safely, get people home quickly and support connected communities.” 

City of Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson: “As Ballarat grows, this important upgrade will ensure safer travel connections for motorists between Gillies Street to Link Road.
“Our investment to upgrade this intersection demonstrates that we are committed to delivering a better Ballarat.”

The City of Ballarat has joined CitySwitch – a free national program that helps office-based businesses reduce emissions and their environmental impact, and is urging office-based businesses to jump on board.

Under the program, CitySwitch assists businesses to map a pathway to net zero emissions and connects them with other businesses on the journey.

Participants are encouraged to reduce their office energy use, switch to renewable energy and take part in the circular economy, among other key net zero focus areas.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the CitySwitch initiative to de-carbonise businesses aligns with the City of Ballarat’s transition to a net zero municipality.

“The City of Ballarat is excited to offer CitySwitch to Ballarat’s office-based businesses,” he said.

“This free program will help businesses implement and promote environmental sustainability initiatives while accelerating climate action.”

There are more than 500 businesses Australia-wide participating in the CitySwitch program, spanning the finance, legal, engineering, advertising, architecture and health sectors. These businesses accounted for 19 per cent of Australian office space in 2022.

In 2021, businesses participating in the program saved $62.6 million by making their properties more energy efficient.  

The program assists businesses to measure their emissions, reduce their waste and energy use, and shift to 100 per cent renewables. Businesses can offset their emissions and become carbon neutral, join the circular economy and green their supply chain.

CitySwitch upskills, mentors and educates businesses and their teams, and helps them to become climate resilient. Businesses receive tools and support for each point along the way.

In 2018, Ballarat Council acknowledged the climate emergency and the need for urgent action. In 2019, Council adopted the Carbon Neutrality and 100% Renewables Action Plan 2019-2025 for its corporate emissions.

In 2022, the council adopted the Ballarat Net Zero Emissions Plan, with an aspirational target of reaching net zero emissions by 2030 for the Ballarat community.