The Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation will receive $650,000 to establish a Shepparton hub as part of a state $3.25 million investment.
Each hub will be based in a regional centre, with Shepparton being chosen because it offers the best access to available services, supports local industry collaboration, drives opportunities for regional partnerships and creates employment opportunities.
The YYNAC will fit out an existing building in central Shepparton.
The hub will include training facilities, workshop and hot-desking spaces, an exhibition and retail space for local artists, tourism initiatives and a range of facilities that will support economic and employment opportunities for all Victorians.
“The location, facilities and services offered by the new Aboriginal economic hub in Shepparton will be chosen and designed by the YYNAC to meet the needs of their local communities,” a Victorian Government spokesperson said.
The four other hubs will be set up in Heywood, Warrnambool, Frankston and Abbotsford, with each of them expected to be open and operating in 2026.
The hubs aim to help Indigenous communities focus on connection to culture and Country, while supporting Aboriginal businesses, students and artists through economic opportunities and culturally safe spaces to collaborate, network, and grow.
They also provide places for local Indigenous artists to exhibit and sell their work.
Facilities and services at the hub will be designed and delivered by Traditional Owners to meet the needs of the local community, ranging from tourism and hospitality initiatives to mentoring, leadership training, networking opportunities and community workshops.
Four of the five hubs are funded as part of the government’s $20 million Aboriginal Economic Development Fund announced in July 2023, and the fifth is funded under the Yuma Yirramboi (Invest in tomorrow) program.
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