The Committee for Ballarat's position paper for the 2026 Commonwealth Games emphasises the event is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for the region, and calls for local input into its organisation.
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The committee, a member-based lobby group advocating for the city, outlined its push for major transport infrastructure upgrades - including station accessibility upgrades and electrifying the Ballarat line to at least Melton - and for permanent housing stock to be built.
The position paper, available online, also calls for additional funding to ensure construction is finished on Sovereign Hill's planned upgrades, and for a new Federation Square-style civic space to encourage the city's activation and tourism economy during the games.
One aspect still not decided by organisers - state government agencies and the independent Commonwealth Games Organising Committee are still in early planning stages - is the input from the four host cities themselves.
The committee, in its paper, called for "local organising committees" that would work with these agencies, as they would be "best placed ... to engage with business and community".
Committee chief executive Michael Poulton reiterated "collaboration is key", and many Ballarat businesses had already expressed interest in wanting to work with the state government.
"What's clear coming out of Birmingham is given short time frames, a collaborative approach is absolutely necessary," he said.
"You have to listen to what the locals have to say, we're the ones that'll come up with the solutions for you."
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