Representatives from Bass Coast Shire Council met with members of VinFast's management team at the Lang Lang Proving Ground complex recently.
VinFast, a Vietnamese car manufacturer, purchased the site from GM Holden last year and will continue to operate the Proving Ground as a vehicle testing and development facility.
Bass Coast Shire CEO Ali Wastie, said it was wonderful to meet with VinFast's Head of Vehicle Engineering, Proving Ground Director and Proving Ground Operations Manager to learn more about their plans for site.
"It was fantastic to learn that many former GM Holden staff have been employed on the site, primarily in engineering roles and that more opportunities will come over the next six to 12 months, as operations increase," Ms Wastie said.
"We are looking forward to working with VinFast as they establish their business in Bass Coast."
It is positive that VinFast and the Proving Ground will continue to support local jobs, while also acknowledging the value of the surrounding bushland.
The site is home to around 800 hectares of highly valued remnant vegetation and hundreds of indigenous plant and wildlife species.
Over the last decade, Bass Coast Landcare Network partnered with GM Holden to undertake environmental restoration works outside, and more recently inside the Proving Ground site. This has included extensive flora and fauna surveys, with the results guiding the development of a bushland management plan. The surveys and searches on the threatened species database revealed a number of threatened flora and fauna species that have recently been present within the site.
Ms Wastie said it is really important for the community to know that VinFast will continue to work with the Landcare Network into the future.
"The company appreciates the value of the significant bushland on the site and are keen to keep up with the work that has previously been done by GM Holden and the Landcare Network," Ms Wastie said.
