It’s not that we’ve totally missed out or been forgotten by state and federal governments but that, in comparison to our regional cousins of Geelong and Bendigo, we’ve been knocked down the pecking order.

For the first time, The Courier has sought to challenge this hypothesis and, unfortunately, the conclusions support the theory.

An exercise to assess government funding allocations is fraught with danger as it is impossible to quantify every single dollar distributed across communities. However, Ballarat hasn’t seen the investments in major projects we want, or need.

We’re often quick to look for a scapegoat in such circumstances and we suspect these figures will be cause for introspection by city leaders.

On the political front, we have had 13 years of wall-to-wall state and federal Labor members and largely safe margins.

We’ve had a Coalition government at state level since 2010 and a glaring lack of local election commitments from the current federal government in the lead-up to last year’s poll. We’ve had local government and advocacy groups here in Ballarat with glorious plans – and serious needs – but lacking a consistent approach.

In essence, the figures exposed today don’t necessarily reflect on individuals, rather it’s proof that as a community we haven’t found a way to effectively deal with the political environment.

An example of the city’s predicament is the redevelopment of the Ballarat sports and entertainment precinct. 

Just days before the 2010 state election, then-premier John Brumby announced his government would find $30 million to redevelop Eureka Stadium to attract home and away season AFL games in partnership with North Melbourne Football Club.

The promise was not matched by the state Coalition.

Labor won both the Ballarat battles by small margins but the Coalition won the statewide war.

The project was effectively sent to the back of the queue. 

The past 12 months, however, has seen a more determined and unified front. To the credit of the City of Ballarat and Committee for Ballarat, the two most powerful advocates for our city at higher government levels, the planets have aligned.

Both have released ambitious but complementary plans identifying key projects to help drive economic and community development.

One area where Ballarat has been successful in attracting attention is within the education and health sectors  where announcements such as the establishment of the Ballarat Technology Park – Central and the opening of the Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre give a sense of significant developments in securing the city’s position as the capital of western Victoria.

Despite these ‘wins’, improving health services in particular remain high on our priority list. 

Given the unstable economic environment, government spending doesn’t – and won’t – come easy. Ballarat is not seeking a sympathy handout.

As The Courier reports today, there are a myriad of important projects, services and organisations which would benefit from government support.

It’s important for the continued development of our city that the major political parties recognise that Ballarat deserves a better deal; that needs must be addressed to maintain a strong and prosperous community; that it is time to rebalance the inequity which currently exists.

andrew.eales@fairfaxmedia.com.au