Welcome to the Hobsons Bay Business e-Works update.

In March we will be celebrating Hobsons Bay businesswomen, and invite all business professionals to come together for a special International Women's Day networking event, co-hosted with City of Maribyrnong. 

Thursday 7 March 2023 | 12pm to 2.30pm
Seaview Williamstown

Join us and hear from keynote speaker Julie Hirsch. Julie is an award-winning social entrepreneur and innovator, recognised as Telstra’s Victorian Business Woman of the Year and named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.

To find out more and book your tickets visit Hobsons Bay Business
Want to learn about the AI tools that can be used in marketing your small business? 

This workshop delivered by The Online Fix will cover what you need to know in AI tools and how to assess and test them for your business needs. Get ready to be armed with tips and tricks to using AI in your small business marketing program.

Tuesday 19 March 2024 | 10am to 12pm

Altona Civic Centre
115 Civic Parade, Altona 3018


Calling all hospitality, events and tourism businesses!  Typsy and VTIC have partnered to provide online training and hospitality courses to all Victorian tourism, events and hospitality operators and their staff. 

Typsy can offer online training modules to help upskill your workforce and increase staff engagement. If you are in the visitor economy, make the most of this opportunity by visiting the Typsy website and register for your free account to get started. 


Empower yourself and your business with the knowledge to thrive in the digital landscape with the government funded Digital Solutions Program. 

This month, program members will learn how to generate leads, sell products on social media, productivity hacks and more.


A great international exhibition of one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography has come to Seaworks!

ICONS features more than 100 large-format photographs of Steve McCurry's most iconic images including the legendary 1984 portrait of the Afghan Girl which was famously featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine. The showing also includes other very well-known pictures he captured throughout his forty years of profession, as well as his most recent work. 

The exhibition delivered by Fever is running until Sunday 19 May 2024.  We expect the exhibition to bring additional visitation to the area and encourage traders to connect with the exhibition on social media. 


Applications for the West Gate Neighbourhood Fund are now open!
The West Gate Neighbourhood Fund has committed $10 million in funding to support inner west communities in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong, through a range of projects to improve community connectedness. 

A wide range of projects are eligible including those that celebrate heritage, history or diversity, focus on arts and culture, emphasise learning and development, or enable greater participation of community members. 

Applications close 3pm, Monday 18 March.

The Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD's ACSC) has released a new publication, Engaging with Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

The new guidance outlines steps businesses can take to securely use AI in their operations, and provides mitigations to assist organisations that use self-hosted and third-party hosted AI systems. 


CitySwitch Green Office is a free program that helps office-based businesses to reduce their environmental footprint.

The CitySwitch program provides resources and services including tools, self-assessment templates, free advice and walk-through audits, access to funding, no-cost workshops and networking events, annual awards and industry research.


Looking for ways to better manage your energy usage and costs? Small and medium sized businesses can apply for grants up to $25,000 to fund a range of energy efficient activities that can help reduce your energy use, such as:
  • upgrading or replacing inefficient technologies, such as changing existing display fridge cabinets with more efficient models, or gas cookers with electric equivalents
  • improving space and water heating systems 
  • conducting energy audits
  • installing energy monitoring systems.
Round 2 of the Australian Government's 'Energy Efficiency Grants for SME's are now open. If you applied in Round 1 and did not receive funding, we encourage you to reapply as eligibility requirements have since changed. 


Better access is good for business! It ensures that everyone can enter your premises and buy your goods or services. Improving access will also help you to deliver a great customer experience.

Improving access doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. Here are some simple things you can do:

  • ensure your door handle is easy for all customers to reach
  • make your front door easier to open by making it lighter or automatic  
  • ensure doormats are secure and level with the surrounding floor
  • make your aisles at least 1.2 metres wide to allow room for wheelchairs, walkers and prams
  • provide a level step-free entry to your premises, if possible. 

Your business will not be able to implement everything, but making some of these changes can help ensure your doors are open for everyone.

Find out more:

Accessible Tourism

Access for all: Improving accessibility for consumers with disability | Australian Human Rights Commission

The Make it Happen grants program can provide support to enable projects, programs, events, activities and resources across all sectors including community projects, events and festivals. 

Applications close 2 May 2024 or once funds are exhausted. The grants support activities, programs and events that take place until December 2025. 

Grant information sessions and free grant writing workshops are also available. 


Do you want your business to be greener?
The Green Industries program aims to support private landowners in industrial areas to care for their land to create a more liveable city and a better urban environment that supports the health and wellbeing of our community.

The program offers support for businesses in:

  • planting trees and increasing canopy cover
  • creation of habitat gardens
  • pest animal/species Management 


Council recently engaged with tourism influencers to extend reach via social media. In case you missed it, click on the links below. We encourage everyone to share these promotions via their social networks, and help promote tourism across the bay. 

How to spend a perfect day in Hobsons Bay with @Whereiskapa 

Hidden gems near Melbourne you need to know with @Nathsway

Hobsons Bay also featured on Channel 9's Postcard show this month. The segment featured sites across Hobsons Bay with Mandy and Sammi from Mamma Knows West promoting our Capture Hobsons Bay Photography Tour and tourism bus. Missed the segment? Check it out here.
Click on the links to find out more: 
The Partners in Wellbeing Helpline is a free, confidential service offering small business owners and their employees one-on-one access to trained wellbeing coaches, financial counsellors and business advisors. Call the Partners in Wellbeing Helpline on 1300 375 330 for assistance between 9am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends. A live chat function is also available on the website. 

For a list of other resources available visit the Mental Health in Business webpage.