City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Andrea Metcalf has retained her position as deputy chair of Regional Cities Victoria for 2025.
The group includes the mayors and chief executives of Victoria’s 10 largest local government areas (by population) outside Melbourne: Bendigo, Shepparton, Ballarat, Geelong, Horsham, Latrobe, Mildura, Wangaratta, Warrnambool and Wodonga.
RCV is in its 25th year, and advocates for sustainable growth, investment and work in the regions.
Cr Metcalf has been involved with RCV for four years, including as chair and deputy chair.
She said her focus for this term was to secure more Victorian and federal government investment in regional infrastructure.
“I’ll also be pushing for support for business, overcoming critical worker shortages and exploring how local government can have a greater role in unlocking land for housing,” she said.
“There is also a great opportunity to celebrate our ‘State of Cities’ and continue to advocate for our shared success, building on the UNESCO Creative Cities designations for Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, and the UNESCO World Heritage bid to acknowledge Victoria’s remarkable gold rush history that stretches across much of the state.”
Cr Metcalf said she believed regional Victorian cities contributed greatly to the state, and needed support to sustain their contributions.
“Our regional cities are central to what makes Victoria so great, and as more people embrace our opportunities we must ensure that the jobs, housing and lifestyle offerings are matched with reliable services and community infrastructure,” she said.
Also continuing his position, City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali will be RCV chair in 2025.