Minister Shing is living in an alternative reality if she thinks that Gov Hub has reinvigorated Ballarat’s CBD – says McCracken

A Western Victorian Liberal MP has hit out at the number of public servants currently using Ballarat’s Gov Hub building.

The $100m facility was supposed to house about 1000 government employees, however Joe McCracken says anecdotally it’s about half that number.

“In 2021 we were told that after COVID, there would be 1,000 public servants working on site, re-activating the CBD and spending in local stores. It’s clear that simply hasn’t happened.”

“Many local traders were relying on the promised influx of government workers spending up in our CBD — but it just hasn’t happened.”

“This is because many government departments still facilitate ‘working from home’ and ‘flexible’ work arrangements,” Mr. McCracken said.