This is a good start

TWO levels of government will today come together in governmental matrimony — a match Geelong has been waiting years to witness.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Acting Premier James Merlino will sign on the dotted line in the equivalent of a funding marriage certificate.

The political union involves the much-anticipated City Deal and it means big dollars for our city and wider region.

Australia’s first City Deal was secured for Townsville in December 2016, modelled on a similar initiative developed by the Cameron Government in the UK.

The process in the popular tourist city was relatively speedy; it took less than a month between the signing of the MOU and the deal itself.

Two key projects to come out of the deal include the North Queensland Stadium and the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, both set to be operational by the early 2020s.

Well, what’s good for Townsville is good for Geelong.

Our city already has a firstrate stadium (although Stage Five of the GMHBA Stadium redevelopment remains in the planning stages).

However, on the Convention Centre front, there’s been plenty of talk and precious little action.

There is considerable will from the Geelong business community for this muchneeded project. Private enterprise is keen to get stuck in with a golden opportunity for a hotel provider to be linked with the concept.

Even our new mayor Bruce Harwood is understood to be keen to see the centre “shovel ready” after a period of inaction on the project during the administrative period.

Lingering concerns remain over the scope of a Geelong City Deal. Mr Merlino was keen to a call it a win for Geelong, the Surf and Shipwreck coasts. That would be blurring the lines of what constitutes a city.

It should be what it says on the packet —a City Deal. And the best deal for Geelong is a gleaming new Convention Centre that brings business and tourism to our city centre.