Victorian Regional Digital Infrastructure Bill 2026 and Bendigo Campus Funding Pathways

The Victorian Regional Digital Infrastructure Bill 2026, passed in the state legislature on 6 July, requires all new data and computing facilities above a set capacity threshold to undergo regional impact assessments before construction approvals. The measure applies to projects that draw on state electricity and water networks, with specific clauses directing portions of any associated infrastructure contributions toward regional education and health sites.

State budget papers released in May outlined separate funding streams for La Trobe University's Bendigo operations and Bendigo Health redevelopment. The new bill links these streams by allowing approved digital projects to count certain contributions against regional skills and service targets, a mechanism the legislation states will be administered through existing regional development authorities.

Effects on Bendigo employment and services

Residents employed at the La Trobe regional campus or at Bendigo Health stand to see changes in project pipelines. The bill directs that any digital facility approved under the new rules must submit workforce plans that include pathways for local hiring and training partnerships. Policy analysts point to the explanatory memorandum, which lists La Trobe's information technology programs and Bendigo Health's digital records systems as eligible partners for such plans.

Agriculture water users along the Campaspe and Murray systems receive separate protections under the legislation. Any data facility application must demonstrate that its water extraction will not reduce allocations already committed to irrigation districts that supply Bendigo's surrounding farms. The government projects the assessment process will take between four and six months per application.

Next steps for local projects

The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions will release draft regulations for public consultation by 31 August. Local councils and health services have until that date to submit expressions of interest for partnership status under the bill's contribution rules. Once regulations are finalised, the first round of facility applications is scheduled for assessment in the final quarter of 2026.