VICTORIA'S Regional Development Minister Mary-Anne Thomas spent a chilly morning in Bendigo on Wednesday to mark the official 'topping out' of the city's new GovHub, Galkangu.
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The $90 million Lyttleton Terrace government services building reached its ultimate height in the last few weeks and will now enter into its final stages of construction.
Set to be completed by the end of the year, Galkangu will be home to 1000 state government and City of Greater Bendigo staff.
"We, of course, have GovHubs in Ballarat and in Morwell and in each of those cities they are performing an incredible role in bringing career opportunities in regional Victoria," she said.
The minister said sustainable timber from Gippsland "aquired from Australian sustainable Hardwoods" had been used extensively in the building process.
"This is about manufactured plantation timber by making sure we get the best value form a scarce natural resource," she said.
Ms Thomas said Galkangu's construction involved 1200 jobs, including 200 newly created jobs.
Also present at the ceremony was Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards.
Ms Edwards said the architecture of Galkangu "fit beautifully" with the existing historic Bendigo architecture.
"You really don't feel like it's standing out like a sore thumb," she said.
The planning of the multi-storey building has been a collaborative effort between the state government and local Indigenous corporation DJAARA.
At Wednesday's topping out ceremony, DJAARA general manager Cassandra Lewis thanked the state government for its collaboration.
"It's my pleasure to mark the topping out," she said, "when we make things happen, when we build together, when we connect to Country, we create Galkangu."
"It's really significant for the Dja Dja Wurrung to build visibility across Country, with culture applied in a contemporary context, it places language, culture and history that will invite conversations and an awareness of deeper reconciliation for generations to come."
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