The Victorian Government is supporting businesses in the mining sector to grow, innovate and connect as part of a new program launched in Bendigo.
The Hon. Jaclyn Symes, Victoria's Minister for Resources launched the Regional Innovation Accelerator program on 11 October.
The four-year program is part of the Government's mineral resources strategy State of Discovery, which promotes responsible mining and the creation of confident regional communities. The METS industries encompass a variety of services and thousands of jobs in Victoria – including mineral exploration, mining products, engineering consulting, construction, information and communications technology and community and professional services.
The mining and METS sectors contributed $13.6 billion to the Victorian economy in 2016-17, representing four per cent of the State's total economic activity and supporting around 121,000 jobs
The Regional Innovation Accelerator program will help regionally based METS businesses work with local mining companies, fast-track product innovation and promote services in the marketplace.