Thursday, 19 February 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (14:42): (1519) My constituency question is for the Minister for Small Business and Employment. How can the Victorian Labor government’s multicultural business precinct revitalisation program support local shopping precincts, including the Central Coburg, Victoria Street Mall and Sydney Road shopping precinct? The Central Coburg, Victoria Street Mall and Sydney Road precinct has long been the retail heartbeat and cultural epicentre of my community. The Central Coburg Business Association, now led by the outstanding Rania Fayad, represents 280 local traders and has developed a vision to revitalise the precinct so businesses and people from all walks of life continue to be welcomed. As part of this, the Coburg Business Association supported the application via the multicultural business precinct program for the delivery of a Victoria Street Mall improvement project to lift the mall’s ambience, amenity and cultural experience for local shoppers, families and businesses alike, with shopfront exterior upgrades, awning beautification, shade structures, new public artworks and the installation of a new dedicated performance space to support a program of activations and performances. The total project cost is estimated at $192,000, and they are seeking $153,000 from the Victorian government and a co-contribution from Merri-bek council of $38,000. I strongly support this project.