Some smaller communities, such as Linton and Cape Clear, will see long-awaited upgrades to schools, and historic train stations will be transformed into community halls at Lal Lal and Lethbridge, in Ballarat the focus is firmly on jobs.

While the 'big ticket' projects like $80 million for new social housing, $10 million to upgrade the Ballarat Specialist School, $6.7 million for a new National Centre For Photography, and a two-year pilot program for casual workers to receive five days sick leave were already announced beforehand, this budget was all about what can be done quickly, and how growth can be achieved.

Billions have been set aside for roads, tram manufacturing, clean and renewable energy projects, and supporting job creation, while funding has also been extended for regional health and outreach programs across the state.

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With next year's budget due in just six months, the city's leaders are keen to see what happens to reboot the economy and how it will benefit Ballarat.

$13.2 million has been allocated to regional tourism boards across the state. Among those to receive funding will be Goldfields Tourism and the Ballarat Regional Tourism Board.

This joins the millions in initiatives aiming to get people to visit regional areas, including $200 vouchers for people spending $400 in the regions, and upgrades for tourism infrastructure.

Commerce Ballarat chief executive Jodie Gillett said it was a good start, but the sector will need support and assistance for years to come.

"The whole tourism world has changed completely, and probably forever, and it's really important to be clear when you're talking about tourism," she said.

"People tend to think about Sovereign Hill and the Wildlife Park, and tourism is so much more - every retailer in Ballarat is in tourism, every pub, every cafe, every bookstore, all of that sector relies on visitors coming to our city."

Mr Poulton added the vouchers will "kickstart" spending in the regions in the short term.

$1.6 billion has been set aside for roads with $411 million designated for maintenance, but it can be assumed that Ballarat has missed out on any big tickets projects such as Link Road or Mair Street.

It is understood much of the funding will be itemised towards the south-west of the state.

Ms Gillett said Mair Street's completion needed to be prioritised, to help grow businesses on the strip after years of disruption, while Mr Poulton and City of Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney both said it was disappointing to not see a funding commitment for the Ballarat Link Road's next stage

" I think there's sufficient funds for regional roads for us to go in with a really good proposal to get work done," Mr Poulton said.

"There's money there, this is not a huge ask, it's a really important project, it's been on the cards for a long time, so I'd be optimistic about getting the money for it."

"(The Link Road) is one of the city-building projects that help us get ahead of population growth," Cr Moloney said.

"We'd like to get ahead of it and those projects would have given us the chance to do that rather than wait until we already have large established suburbs where the Link Road would ultimately go."

Another major project not funded was the All-Waste Interchange, part of a new recycling and waste transfer facility at BWEZ.

Cr Moloney said he hoped it could be part of a later announcement, as part of the budget's $41 million commitment to regional recycling facilities.

"They are not new projects, they're quite well known in government circles, so it's disappointing to see they're not directly funded," he said.

"I think we'll need to work with the state government to understand why they haven't been succeeding across multiple budgets, and understand if we have to reshape anything or position it differently."

The government is setting itself an ambitious target of creating 400,000 new jobs by 2025, half of them by 2022.

"Our new Jobs for Victoria initiative will help locals find a new job - and with it, security, stability and certainty. This includes $250 million to partner with employers to cover the wages of at least 10,000 new workers," Ms Addison said.

"These positions will be for Victorians hardest hit by this pandemic, including women, young people, retrenched workers and people who have been long-term unemployed. This investment will also deliver targeted and tailored support for those who need it - such as mentoring, career counselling or more intensive support."

Cr Moloney said Ballarat was currently experiencing a "two-speed economy".

"The challenge is in understanding specifically what (the initiatives) can mean for a city like Ballarat - every city's going to have its own unique challenges," he said.

"Here we have a few sectors doing exceptionally well - we're having a mini-property boom, for example - but we've also got a couple of sectors doing extremely tough, retail, hospitality, and tourism.

"Businesses are already telling us they expect things will go along generally okay as we head towards Christmas, as there's people excited to be leaving Melbourne and getting out and about, spending cash many have been saving during the pandemic, but the harder point will possibly hit the city in the first few months of next year, as it'll be more of a challenge to get the Melburnians to come back, and JobKeeper will be reduced or removed.

"We need to make sure we get our positions in a strong point as we head to that February-March period."

Ballarat could be one of the big winners of a $1.6 billion push towards clean energy, which includes $540 million to set up six new renewable zones across the state.

While areas such as Benalla, Mildura and the Latrobe Valley will no doubt be high on the list, Ballarat and western Victoria should be in pole position to secure one of the zones, given the region's investment in wind technology.

"These zones haven't been set, but our area is a leader in renewable energy and I will be lobbying very strongly on behalf of the area to secure one of these zones," Buninyong MP Michaela Settle said.

The Committee for Ballarat's chief executive Michael Poulton said BWEZ should be a high priority for a zone, as well as large-scale rooftop solar in the booming housing developments in the west.

"That's a fantastic investment - what Ballarat needs to do now is make sure we're recipients of some of that money," he said.

Major investment in tram building could also be potentially picked up by a number of manufacturers with plants in Ballarat including Alstom, Bombardier and UGL.

Again tender decisions have not been finalised, but there is the potential for manufacturing jobs to be created across the city.

Ms Settle said she would always lobby for more jobs in the region.

Ms Gillett said manufacturing and construction are key drivers of the city's economy.

"If there's a bucket of money there, Ballarat needs to make sure we get our fair share

"We need to make sure we come together, know exactly what we're asking for, and we want those short-term infrastructure projects that will stimulate the tourism sector immediately as well as long-term."

There will be $626 million Digital Future Now package, radically improving mobile coverage and broadband access.

This includes $300 million to eradicate Mobile Black Spots in populated areas of regional Victoria and $250 million to co-fund business grade broadband connectivity for regional communities through the Gigabit State program.

An extra $120 million will be made available through the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund which hospitals and health services can apply for. This program has been ongoing for four consecutive years and is funded through applications.

Wendouree MP Juliana Addison said since its inception, the Labor Government had delivered 362 projects spanning 52 construction projects over $1 million and 310 projects under $1 million across rural and regional Victoria.

Funding is available to regional and sub-regional health services, local and small rural health services, multipurpose services, public residential aged care services, registered community health services, bush nursing hospitals and centres, women's health services, Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations and publicly funded community specialist palliative care services.

"Ballarat patients deserve the very best care possible and that's why we're giving our dedicated doctors and nurses the equipment they need to do their job and save lives," Ms Addison said.

"This funding boost will help our hospitals and health services maintain a high standard of care and provide a safe environment for their patients."

Extra money has also been funded mental health outreach program which currently operates in Ballarat. The funding will allow extension of services, enabling it to go further afield.

Cr Moloney, Ms Gillett, and Mr Poulton all said the city's leading organisations need to work collaboratively to achieve more of their goals, particularly given the decision made on the Airport Rail Link and the lack of funding for the Link Road.

The focus now turns to the next state budget, expected in May, and federal and state elections in 2021 and 2022.

Cr Moloney said the new council's first priority was completing its council plan, which will include many longer-term projects.

"There's a series of quite impressive macro-announcements, what we don't understand is the micro-projects that would fit under each of those to benefit Ballarat," he said.

"There's a fair bit of work to do for us to digest the budget then sit down with state government representatives to see what, if any, of that we can use to help Ballarat get ready for rapid population growth."

This was echoed by Mr Poulton.

"There are buckets of money there that every regional area will now be starting to put a case for," he said.

"Ballarat has to be really well-aligned, and our region has to be really concerted in its effort to be aligned and make sure we're advocating for the same things, and making sure the message to government is consistent and shared by all the key parties in the town."

Ms Gillett was blunt.

"We need to be all on the same page and getting a cut of the pie," she said.

"We need to make sure some of this money is coming our way."

Buninyong MP - Michaela Settle

"This is an extraordinary budget for extraordinary times. Its not a traditional budget, it's about looking at the state as a whole. The funding is for all Victorians, the emphasis for me is putting people first and idnteifying the people who need support straight up.

"There is a specific package around wage subsidies, which is designed for middle-aged to older women hit very hard. We will see social housing investment, $80 million of that in Ballarat. It is the right thing to do, and an enormous job creator.

"What I'm personally delighted about is building stronger connected communities. I'm pleased to see Linton Primary and Cape Clear Primary receive funding as well as Lal Lal and Lethbridge train stations.

"We have tried to address what will work for individual communities and getting the community back together. But in Ballarat the real emphasis has to be on creating those jobs.

"The announcement of the sick day for casual worker employees will be huge for the hospitality industry. The problem with casual workers, if you're a parent and your child is sick, it's a choice of money to pay bills or staying home to look after your child. No employer wants you to come to work sick, productivity goes down. If we can offer five-days sick leave they don't have to make the decision. I think it will be big for Ballarat. It's a two-year pilot program fully funded by the trial.

"We need to put people and communities front and centre.

Wendouree MP - Juliana Addison

"This year's Victorian Budget is recognition that 2020 has been like no other.

"To ensure our community recovers from the social and economic impacts of the COVID pandemic, we are investing in infrastructure and services to create jobs and support our community to come out the other side, stronger and fairer than before.

"Whether it is providing funding for the educational needs of students with disabilities, investing in building homes for our most vulnerable Victorians or revitalizing our tourism and hospitality industries, this is about a fair budget that puts people first.

"As we recover, we want our state to come back stronger than ever, delivering the biggest investment in inclusive education in our state's history. That includes $10 million in upgrades for Ballarat Specialist School, supporting students with new permanent buildings.

"Ballarat Specialist School is a fantastic school community. With new buildings and learning spaces, we want to make it even stronger.

"And with every project throughout the state, there is a strong focus on job creation and economic recovery."

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