A number of the city's leaders are pushing for the shovel-ready project, which they hope will entice a government casting around for builds that don't need months or years of planning.

The leaders want the government to prioritise spends in regional areas when it hands down the budget next week, with Be.Bendigo chief executive Dennis Bice saying they are the places that will lead the state and nation out of recession.

"Clearly, we want to get Qantas back here and operating as soon as possible, hence why the focus around the airport is so important," he said.

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Qantas began chartering flights from Sydney to Bendigo last year but the route was suspended when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Mr Bice said being able to guarantee Qantas and other regional carriers an improved terminal would help the city cash in for a struggling tourism industry.

The build could also become leverage for other businesses that saw opportunities in flights to the nation's largest city, he noted.

City of Greater Bendigo chief executive Craig Niemann said the airport needed $4.5 million in federal funds before it could begin.

He would love to see the idea added to the budget as a stand-alone project.

"If not that, we'd like to see that there's some funds available in programs we can apply for," Mr Niemann said.

The second option would force the council to compete for funding, much as it has been doing unsuccessfully for several years.

"They become a lot more competitive, but we think we have got a project that stacks up very well," Mr Niemann said.

He would also like to see funding pools for roads and infrastructure grow at least at the steady pace they had in previous years.

Mr Bice said businesses were also calling out for faster and more reliable internet coverage after the COVID-19 crisis forced many employees to work from home, exposing patchy connections in some areas.

"There were some gaps," he said.

More: Chesters seeks millions in budget for Bendigo projects

The Bendigo Manufacturing Group is closely watching a "JobMaker" manufacturing plan the government has been talking up pre-budget.

The 10-year plan would come with an extra $1.5 billion to help Australian manufacturers compete, build scale and prioritise areas deemed to be in the national interest.

Much of the plan's funding will be outlined when the budget is delivered but the government has flagged six areas that play to Australian manufacturing strengths.

"Bendigo will certainly tick a number of those boxes, particularly in the mining space ... as well as in food and beverage manufacturing," BMG chairman Mark Brennan said.

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