So the City of Ballarat developed the Ballarat West Employment Zone as a key priority.

The plan was for 18,000 new homes and 9000 jobs in greenfields sites to the city’s west.

BWEZ was to provide industrial land for the next 20 years and up to half of the new jobs were expected as the city grows.

It was to take up a 623-hectare site adjoining the Ballarat Airport, Western Link Road and the Ballarat West growth areas.

At the time, then councillor Judy Verlin backed BWEZ passionately, and continued to do so in an opinion piece in The Courier last year, describing it as a “non-negotiable” infrastructure project.

Now chairman of the Committee of Ballarat, Mrs Verlin continues to push BWEZ as one of the best ways of leading Ballarat’s job growth into the future. BWEZ also has strong government funding, probably because it is forecast to realise $5 billion worth of investment.

Mrs Verlin is right. Ballarat needs to diversify to survive. Our manufacturing base has been eroded by job losses, while technology giant IBM recently announced jobs would go at its Mount Helen base.

Advanced manufacturing – such as the biotechnology and bioenergy industries BWEZ is expected to attract – is Ballarat’s way of the future, along with aged care, health services and logistics.

BWEZ will be a 20-year program, and it is vital that successive governments of all tiers continue their support.

The project will go a long way towards providing Ballarat jobs for the future.