Labor is backing small businesses - making them even more welcoming to boost visitors, jobs and local economies.
Minister Suleyman today announced a $6 million investment to update local shopfronts, improve public infrastructure and enhance community spaces in multicultural business hubs.
Through the Multicultural Business Precinct Revitalisation Program, 37 council-led projects will each receive up to $250,000 in government funding - with councils, business groups and traders working together to deliver the improvements and promote cultural diversity.
Hume City Council will upgrade shopping strips on Barry Road, Olsen Place and Mahoneys Road, boosting local foot traffic for businesses and attracting new visitors while celebrating the diverse multicultural communities of Campbellfield and Broadmeadows.
The City of Greater Geelong will work with the Geelong West Traders Association to develop a pocket park. Designed for multicultural gatherings, events and integrated art, it will also drive visitors to shop and dine at local businesses along Pakington Street in Geelong West.
Brimbank City Council, with support from the St Albans Business Group Association, will install cultural lantern lighting along Victoria Square to improve safety in the St Albans Town Centre and celebrate the area's multicultural identity.
Multicultural business precincts are the cornerstone of local economies and communities, providing unique places where people gather, shop, work and build cultural connections and friendships.
Victoria is proudly home to more than 735,000 small businesses. Around 56 per cent of all small businesses are owned by people with at least one parent born overseas.
To learn more about the Multicultural Business Precinct Revitalisation Program, visit business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/multicultural-business-precinct-revitalisation-program(opens in a new window)
As stated by Minister for Small Business and Employment Natalie Suleyman
From Broadmeadows to Geelong, St Albans to Robinvale, and Oakleigh to Footscray, our state's multicultural business precincts are vibrant hubs of trade, activity, food and culture."
"We are supporting our shopping strips to be vibrant and safe - our small and family businesses are the backbone of our communities."
"When we back local businesses, we back local jobs and local families.'
As stated by Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt
"This investment will not only brighten up shopfronts and public spaces but will also fuel local jobs and celebrate the incredible diversity that makes Victoria thrive."
As stated by the Member for Broadmeadows Kathleen Matthew-Ward MP
"This investment celebrates the vibrant Turkish, Nepalese and many other multicultural communities of Broadmeadows and Campbellfield, while strengthening local business activity"
