The Victorian Chamber welcomes Federal Government changes to boost the international education sector and address skills shortages in key industries.

I’ve spent a large part of the last week engaging with various stakeholders including Victorian Government Ministers and our members about the rising costs involved with running a business, escalating electricity and gas prices, and what the road to net zero looks like.

Well, it seems we are going to have to get used to interest rates continuing to rise if this weeks commentary is anything to go by. I’m sure you all felt the impact of the latest interest rate rise in some way. It’s another cost increase that will hit most businesses either directly or indirectly via the potential decline in consumer spending.

The Australian Apprenticeships Priority List has been expanded, adding occupations eligible for financial support.

It’s great to be back after a break enjoying Regional Victoria and thank you to Chanelle, Scott and the team for doing such a fantastic job while I was away. It has already been a big week as school holidays finish and students head back to the classroom. No doubt there’s been a few tears shed by parents of those children starting school and even some tears of joy for parents of those returning!

As Acting Chief Executive, it’s exciting to see so many people getting out and about across Victoria as the summer weather provides the perfect conditions for lapping up what we love about this great state. Many Victorians are returning to work while others are taking an extended break at our tourist hot spots, enjoying the Australian Open, the Lunar New Year and a myriad of other events.

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year’s with your families and friends and that at least some of you got to enjoy a break. We know this is a busy time for many businesses and we are grateful for your ongoing hard work during the holiday period.

What a year! As this is my last message for 2022, it seems only fitting to end the year on a positive note, with news that office occupancy in Melbourne’s CBD is climbing as Victoria continues its recovery.

Well, we didn’t get the outcome that we wanted for business with Federal Parliament passing the Industrial Relations Reforms Bill last week. So, we will now be ensuring we support you and your business to understand the impact of the changes and how you can navigate them.

One of the great things about Australia is that we live in a democracy. We all had the chance to vote on the weekend and we congratulate Premier Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party on what was a decisive win in the Victorian Election.

This Saturday Victorians will go to the polls in what is shaping as a critical election for our business community after the many challenges of the past three years.

The Victorian Chamber has joined a national push of business chambers to oppose the Federal Government’s proposed Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022.

On 27 October, the Federal Government’s Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 was tabled in Federal Parliament.

I am delighted that the Victorian Chamber Board endorsed Adrian Kloeden as President and Jeremy Blackshaw as Deputy President at Tuesday’s Victorian Chamber AGM. Congratulations to Adrian and Jeremy and thank you to Karyn Sobels for her successful tenure as President.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs has announced an update on efforts to clear visa backlogs and improve skilled visa processing times.

I’m excited to be Acting Chief Executive of the Victorian Chamber this week while Paul Guerra is in Paris bidding on behalf of Melbourne to secure the 14th World Chambers Congress here in 2025.