The uncosted pledge would see a rather large office building plonked on the Civic Hall site, bringing 400 workers smack bang into the Ballarat CBD.

Not only did Dr Napthine kick-start a positive story about jobs growth – a rare occurrence for his government and regional Victoria in recent weeks – but he left the Opposition with little option but to consider a similar policy.

Energising the CBD – through more workers and activity – is key to creating a more positive vibe about Ballarat and this week’s announcement makes preparations to strike a stunning blow on this front.

It also managed to quell the toxic debate over the future of the Civic Hall – something Ballarat City Council has been unable to do despite many glorious attempts over more than a decade. 

It was like a Commonwealth Games swimming carnival: Gold. Gold. Gold. Not a bad Sunday afternoon’s work in anyone’s language.

That’s one take, anyway. 

Even after the bluster died down, there were few willing to ask if government decentralisation really works? Does it provide long-term benefits or just short-term political fixes?

Former Labor premier Steve Bracks sees the relocation of government departments – the Transport Accident Commission to Geelong, State Revenue Office to Ballarat and Rural Finance to Bendigo – as major achievements of his premiership. Dr Napthine shares not Mr Bracks’ politics, but definitively his vision for supporting regional and rural Victoria through a similar policy.

There are, however, voices who question decentralisation of government workers and we have heard them here in Ballarat not that long ago.

In 2011, the Grattan Institute chose Ballarat to launch its Investing in Regions: Making a Difference report, a controversial but mostly exceptionally challenging review of the past, present and future of regional centres.

At the launch, co-hosted by the Committee for Ballarat, Professor John Daley mocked the long-term success of government decentralisation, including the State Revenue Office move.

“We looked at schemes to decentralise government departments and, of course, Ballarat has been part of that in terms of the State Revenue Office moving,” Professor Daley told the audience.

“But rapidly (we) came to the conclusion that those things do not change, by and large, economic growth rates of the recipient region, if you like, that much. And if you think about the State Revenue Office, it’s 200 people. That’s not immaterial but in the scheme of Ballarat, it’s about half a per cent of the working population of Ballarat.

“That’s terrific for one year, but it’s not going to change the economic growth rate of Ballarat materially in the long run. And that, relatively speaking, was quite a big move of people. 

“The only move of government departments we could find that was material in terms of really driving economic growth that continued for a long time anywhere in the country of course is Canberra, and we’re not entirely sure that that’s a great experiment we should repeat ...”

Professor Daley might well be right.  And Dr Napthine might be robbing Kew to pay Ballarat.

In the current climate, however, the debate is a relief in comparison to the discussion about the demise of manufacturing, the sleepy hollow reflection of Ballarat’s CBD and the devil which has obviously possessed the Civic Hall.

Most of all, it sets an agenda to create a better outcome for Ballarat, where policies to grow jobs in our CBD and beyond are not only sought but desperately encouraged. As of last Sunday, the stakes have been raised.

andrew.eales@fairfaxmedia.com.au