Big ideas and extraordinary talent drive our creative sector, which spans the performing and visuals arts, music, design, digital game development, film and television, fashion, literature and publishing, and more.

We’re proud of our local artists and creative professionals and support them to develop and maintain thriving careers here in Victoria.

From solo practitioners, grassroots collectives and small businesses to major organisations and institutions, we support the sector at all levels. We do this through a range of programs and initiatives that raise the profile, reach and impact of Victorian creatives, and by investing in a strong creative ecosystem.

The Region is home to the prosperous and vibrant regional cities of Bendigo, one of the State’s largest and fastest growing regional cities, and Mildura, the major regional city for the north of the Region and the largest urban centre on the edge of the outback. Echuca, Swan Hill, Castlemaine, Gisborne, Kyneton and Maryborough are also important centres, offering employment and lifestyle services.

As Loddon Mallee’s business ecosystem expands, so does its workforce needs. The region envisions growing its tertiary offerings to keep up with industry demand, while building a reputation for innovation. Initiatives like SuniTAFE’s SMART Farm training hub, or the reputed La Trobe School of Rural Health are prime examples of a region invested in ‘growing its own’.

Centres like Mildura and Bendigo are large enough to attract marquee tertiary institutions and global businesses, yet small enough to be able to foster meaningful relationships between the two.

The Fraunhofer Initiative uniting La Trobe University, the City of Greater Bendigo, and Bendigo Regional Manufacturing Group is one example of many.

The Region has irrigated dairy and horticulture in the local government areas adjacent to the Murray River as well as large-scale cropping and grazing throughout the Region.

Intensive animal husbandry is of growing importance in certain locations in the southern part of the Region.

Agriculture and food production play a major role supporting the economy of rural communities, small towns and regional centres.

The extensive food processing industry adds value to the agricultural produce within the Region, creating jobs and increasing the economic output from the Region.

Bendigo Health is a leading regional health service, with around 5000 staff and a catchment area covering a quarter of the size of Victoria. The three main campuses of Bendigo Health are in Bendigo, with many services extended to regional settings including areas such as Mildura, Echuca, Swan Hill, Kyneton and Castlemaine.

The organisation provides services in emergency, maternity, women’s health, medical imaging, pathology, rehabilitation, community services, residential aged care, psychiatric care, community dental, hospice, palliative care, cardiology, cancer services and renal dialysis to the people of the Loddon Mallee region.

In addition to operating a large acute hospital we offer subacute services including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, a regional psychiatric service, residential care, specialist clinics, dialysis and a range of outreach services such as hospital in the home.

The region has gold, mineral sand and rare earth mining, and renewable energy sectors.

The region is home to Fosterville Mine – the largest producer of gold in Victoria. Since commencing exploration in 2005, it has produced over 3.5 million ounces. Simulations by the Geological Survey of Victoria predict significant gold deposits in the vicinity of 75-million ounces, with multiple million-ounce occurrences, still to be unearthed.

Antimony is the second-most valuable metallic commodity in Victoria after gold, and on Australia’s critical mineral list. Loddon Mallee is home to Australia’s largest antimony producer located in the City of Greater Bendigo. The mine is estimated to contain 17,800 tonnes of antimony – a mineral essential for hardening lead in storage batteries and producing semiconductors.

VHM Limited has exploration tenements in the region for zircon and other rare earth minerals critical in the manufacture of industrial permanent magnets and high energy density batteries required in production of electric vehicles and essential for the renewable energy market.

Initiatives that lead to planning and development of tourism infrastructure and services that increase visitation and spend across the Region and attract investment.

This will include initiatives that increase opportunities for Aboriginal people through cultural tourism in areas such as Gunbower Forest, as well as other initiatives that leverage projects already undertaken to improve tourism in the Region, such as the Ports of the Murray River strategy, our arts, cultural and recreational precincts, and other iconic natural and cultural heritage assets such as our significant Goldfields heritage.

These initiatives will help improve the quality of assets and customer satisfaction thereby leading to increased tourism, more jobs and, ultimately, protection of our culture, heritage and natural assets.

The region has a broad mix of industries including horticulture, dairying, broad acre cropping, mineral sand and rare earth mining, renewable energy, and tourism sectors.

There are local circular economy projects such as biochar production where wood waste is converted for use in agriculture.

Melbourne is Australia’s leader in advanced manufacturing and one of the few places in the world that covers the entire manufacturing spectrum, from research and engineering to design and production. Melbourne is home to more than 20 cutting-edge advanced manufacturing research centres, many in partnership with world-class universities.

Melbourne’s advanced manufacturing expertise spans design, composite materials, material handling, software development, additive processes, automated systems and advanced electronics and machinery.

Melbourne is home to a network of specialised advanced manufacturing research precincts servicing a range of industries including Automotive, Aerospace, Defence, Scientific Instruments, Medical Devices and Equipment, Chemicals and Plastics, Pharmaceuticals, Fabricated Metals, TCF (textiles, clothing and footwear) and Food Processing.

Melbourne’s Central Business District is home to an advanced manufacturing precinct, incorporating the University of Melbourne and RMIT University, that offers state-of-the-art facilities including 3D printing and reverse engineering.

Melbourne’s Parkville Precinct is a globally recognised hub of excellence in healthcare, research and education. A cluster of research and health sciences institutes in the precinct specialise in smart and advanced materials applications, instrument development, advanced ICT applications and nanotechnology.

Home to Monash University, the Australian Synchrotron, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Monash Health, the Monash Health Translation Precinct, and Melbourne’s key pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including Servier, GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb, this precinct is the locus of numerous advanced manufacturing research projects and collaborations.

City of Melbourne is proud to be part of a local and international movement of cities that will act to reduce emissions and to address climate change impacts.

The greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming are generated from electricity, gas, transport, and waste produced in our city. They are also generated by food and agriculture, goods and services, and the resources that go into packaging, clothes and building materials. Too many greenhouse gas emissions act like a blanket around the earth, causing temperatures to rise.

To reduce greenhouse emissions, we need collective action by customers and businesses, commuters and transport companies, tenants and building owners, investors and government regulators. By taking action together, we can generate health and social benefits and reduce the cost of environmental impact.

We are already investing in renewable energy, urban forests, green buildings, waste innovation and in better pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. Through such creative initiatives, we can deliver better health for our community together with economic, social and environmental benefits.

We are doing this because we want our city to remain a great place to live, work and visit, but climate change is threatening that.

As Melbourne feels the effects of climate change it threatens the liveability of our city through heatwaves, flooding, drought and poor air quality.

Creative industries are an evolving mix of sectors spanning arts and culture, screen and design. They cover disciplines as diverse as game development and graphic design, fashion and filmmaking, media and music, comedy and craft, and include activities that are both commercially-driven and community-based, experimental and export-intense.

Creative industries are important to our prosperity. They drive new approaches to job creation and industry innovation. As the economy transitions and jobs of the future emerge, creative industries will be increasingly important to the future of the next generation.

Victoria is the national leader in visual and performing arts. Melbourne hosts 62,000 live music concerts each year and Victoria has three times more live music performances than the national average, and the state is home to leading libraries, galleries and museums

Melbourne has a highly diversified economy with particular strengths in finance, manufacturing, research, IT, education, logistics, transportation and tourism.

Melbourne houses the headquarters of many of Australia's largest corporations, including five of the ten largest in the country (based on revenue), and five of the largest seven in the country.

It is the Australian base for a number of significant manufacturers including Boeing Australia, truck makers Kenworth and Iveco, Cadbury, Alstom and Jayco.

It is also home to a wide variety of other manufacturers, ranging from petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals to fashion garments, paper manufacturing and food processing.

The city also has a research and development hub for Ford Australia, as well as a global design studio and technical centre for General Motors and Toyota

CSL one of the world's top five biotech companies, and Sigma Pharmaceuticals have their headquarters in Melbourne. The two are the largest listed Australian pharmaceutical companies. Melbourne has an important ICT industry, home to more than half of Australia’s top 20 technology companies.

The University of Melbourne is Australia's Number One university and is a world leader in education, teaching and research excellence.

RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia.

Monash University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named after prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state.

Victoria University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is a dual-sector university, providing courses in both higher education and technical and further education.

La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria.

Swinburne University of Technology is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College to serve those without access to further education in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

Victoria has an ambitious climate change strategy. With a A$1.6 billion energy package to power Victoria’s progress towards a clean energy future, opportunities for businesses to contribute to this future are abundant.

Victoria is home to a thriving clean energy research and development industry, with major projects ranging from printed solar cells to geothermal heating and cooling.

We're developing new materials and processes to produce thin, flexible and semi-transparent solar cells using printable 'solar inks'. These inks are deposited onto flexible plastic film using processes like micro-gravure coating, slot-die coating and screen printing.

Geothermal systems work using water as a heat transfer medium to transfer heat from water or the ground (via water in pipes) into a building using circulation pumps.

Ground temperatures are ‘captured’ by the water and transferred into a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) via a heat exchanger. The GSHP then produces water, typically in the range of 7 to 50 degrees Celsius, for cooling and heating respectively.

Melbourne’s north is fast becoming a world-class food and agricultural hub. The region is home to some of Australia’s best loved food and beverage brands, as well as an eclectic mix of artisan businesses, including boutique microbreweries, premium chocolate makers, coffee roasters and gourmet food distribution companies.

The region leads the state in the production of many food categories including bakery, confectionery, dairy, seafood and meat.

Melbourne Health is responsible for funding and providing health care services in the Melbourne metropolitan area.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital operates across two campuses in Parkville, and provides health services, conducts medical research programs, and trains health professionals.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital is responsible for NorthWestern Mental Health – which provides hospital-based mental health services in hospitals across north-west metropolitan Melbourne.

The Doherty Institute - a partnership with the University of Melbourne that specialises in providing health care services in the area of infection and immunity.

The City of Melbourne has partnered with the University of Melbourne and RMIT University to create Melbourne Innovation Districts (MID), a smart city initiative that is set to drive investment in the knowledge economy and help shape the city’s future.

Melbourne is home to a number of incubators, hubs and co-working spaces.

Melbourne’s defence industry is renowned for its highly skilled workforce, excellence and unparalleled capabilities in advanced manufacturing, world-class research & development and delivering complex defence projects.

Often described as Australia's heart of culture, Melbourne's attractions include sporting events, art galleries, live music, festivals and fashion events that are popular with tourists and locals alike.

Explore the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia’s oldest and most renowned public art museum. The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne offers a mix of diverse plant collections and tranquil lakes.

Melbourne’s Luna Park is renowned as the city’s oldest amusement park. From roller coasters to motion simulators, the park offers classic family entertainment with its state-of-the-art attractions.

Featuring the highest observation deck in Melbourne, the Eureka Tower offers surreal views of the entire city.

Recycling Victoria's purpose is to strengthen Victoria's waste and recycling system. It aims to increase the reliability and transparency of the sector and maximise the ongoing use of products and materials that would otherwise be waste.

City of Melbourne has set a target to divert 90 percent of waste from landfill by 2030 and a 20 percent reduction in household waste per capita between 2019 and 2030. Moving towards a circular economy, which eliminates waste and reuses resources, will help keep Melbourne a sustainable, beautiful, safe and liveable city.

It will divert materials from landfill, minimise extraction of natural resources, and reduce carbon emissions. Improving building design is critical to improving resource recovery, easing congestion, reducing noise and odour pollution and keeping our city clean. It is up to everyone in the city - residents, workers, developers, visitors and businesses – to work towards zero waste.

The historic Western Treatment Plant in Werribee is a world leader in environmentally-friendly sewage treatment, and one of Victoria’s most unlikely hidden treasures.

Roughly the size of Phillip Island, the vast site is home to more than just sewage treatment facilities – doubling as a working farm and internationally-recognised bird habitat. Here, agriculture and biodiversity meet resource recovery, education and ecotourism, supporting Melbourne’s renowned liveability.