THE launch of a multimillion dollar information technology hub in Ballarat has been postponed but mystery surrounds the reason for its delay.
In June the state government announced communication technology company Vertex Australia would open a customer support centre in September this year.
Yesterday the company confirmed the centre would not open until December or January, but declined to answer questions about why it had been delayed.
In June, Premier John Brumby said the Vertex centre would be one of the biggest "single job creating ventures" in Ballarat's history.
He said the company would invest $11.5 million to set up the customer support centre which would generate 600 jobs over three years in Ballarat.
The delay comes after Vertex announced it would open its new Asia Pacific headquarters in East Bentleigh in Melbourne.
Ballarat City Council director of growth and economy Jeff Pulford said he was confident the new centre would proceed as planned and boost employment opportunities in the region.
"Our conversations with Vertex have been very good and we've been advised by Vertex they're finalising their construction contracts," he said.
Mr Pulford said an announcement was expected soon about when recruiting would start for the customer support centre jobs.
According to its website the Vertex Group operates 60 offices around the world and has 10,000 employees.
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