It’s been a challenging winter, but the end is finally approaching. The days are getting longer and warmer and the AFL Finals, Spring Racing Carnival, Royal Melbourne Show and school holidays are just around the corner. How good will it be to have them back!

Greetings from Mildura up on the mighty Murray River where I’m meeting with businesses as part of our series of regional roundtable meetings. It’s been great to get out on the road and engage with members to hear more about the issues impacting business across Victoria.

I don’t know about you, but it does seem like there is a lot going on at the moment. I’ve been to a fantastic meeting with members in Mildura, and also managed to get to Canberra and back for a series of meetings with the Australian Chamber in the lead up to the Jobs and Skills Summit.

Well, it’s been quite a week! Today is the start of the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra.

There was no better way to kickstart spring than having the State Government lift the work-from-home recommendations and the introduction of shorter isolation requirements for COVID-positive patients and those in low-risk settings.

With the State election now coming into view, we are delighted to launch the Victorian Chamber’s 2022 State Election Platform, Powering Victoria’s Future.

It’s Grand Final week in Victoria and you can feel the electricity in the air! For the first time in three years the Grand Final is back in Melbourne where it belongs and oh, how we’ve missed it.

The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions has released new information to help industry prepare for changes to doing business with the Victorian Government

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has released its 2022 State Election Regional Platform, Growing Regional Victoria. 

Congratulations to Geelong Football Club on a brilliant season and a brilliant win. It may not have been a game to remember but the AFL Grand Final was a moment to celebrate the return of one of our iconic events to Victoria.

Over the past six months I’ve travelled from Moe to Mildura and Warrnambool to Wodonga to meet face to face with the businesses that drive our regional economies. We’ve conducted roundtable meetings, focus groups and member surveys because we wanted to hear directly from businesses about the issues affecting them. 

The start of daylight saving and the burst of sunshine has put a welcome spring in our step after a long and challenging winter.

Businesses with a presence in regional Victoria are encouraged to have their say on the state’s business conditions.

The Victorian Chamber has unveiled its 2022-2023 Federal Budget Submission with priorities that, if delivered, will create thousands of jobs, help businesses thrive and significantly increase economic activity

With Victoria’s pandemic declaration expired at 11.59pm last night, it’s time for us to get on with life and for business to continue its recovery as we focus on the future.

The floods across the state are another powerful reminder of the natural disasters Australians endure. In Victoria, the pandemic has been bookended by bushfires and floods, causing more disruption for thousands of people.