I was fortunate to catch up this week with an extremely impressive woman in Freda Miriklis, Chair of the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network (CBWN). The Victorian Chamber first cemented our connection with the CWBN in Geneva at the World Chambers Congress, where our Chamber Change program was a finalist in the Best Gender Equity Project category in the World Chambers Competition. It was great to discuss how we are going to collaborate with the CWBN to continue our work to help empower women in business.

Taking the temperature of the Victorian business community over the past few weeks, there is a distinctive chill in the confidence barometer. 

We are gearing up for our highly-anticipated Victorian Chamber Presents: Victoria – the home of innovation event next week. Political and industry leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries will come together to reveal future trends and explore strategies to foster innovation in the business landscape.

I’m coming to you this week from beautiful Bendigo, where today we hosted one of our important Regional Roundtables. Hearing directly from business and industry is the best way for us to really get to the heart of our members’ concerns and challenges.

I was incredibly proud today as our President Adrian Kloeden hosted a lunch to celebrate the Victorian Chamber’s 25 years of involvement in supporting Apprenticeships in Victoria. It was an honour to be joined by so many members and esteemed guests at Crown Melbourne for Apprenticeship Support Australia’s (ASA) 25-year celebration luncheon, including our guest speaker, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, Federal Minister for Skills and Training.

On Monday afternoon, Federal Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke introduced the Government’s “Closing the Loopholes” Fair Work Act Amendment Bill, which proposes significant changes to our industrial relations landscape.

I'm excited to provide a short preview of an upcoming report that we believe will greatly benefit our members. Our Housing Taskforce has been diligently working on a comprehensive document to help address the housing challenges faced by our community.

Some of you will have been involved in our Housing Taskforce, which is nearing completion. On Tuesday I had an opinion piece published in the Herald Sun which highlights what we have heard during the extensive consultation.

I want to extend my congratulations to Victoria’s new Premier, Jacinta Allan and Deputy Premier Ben Carroll. Their appointment is fantastic news for the business community, and we have longstanding and productive relationships with both. I am delighted that they will be tasked with taking our State forward. I know they are both up for the challenge and I know they both are acutely aware of what business – all of you – contribute to our great State.

It was wonderful to start the week with a call from our new Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan bright and early at 8.15am.

On Tuesday we had the privilege of partnering with the Herald Sun to host our second annual “Future Victoria” lunch at Crown Melbourne’s spectacular Aviary event space.

You would be aware the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival took place on Sunday, with over 40,000 participants raising more than $1.5 million for charity. I am proud to report that the Victorian Chamber had a dedicated team of athletes, from the 5km run to the full marathon. In a late decision, due to an illness with one of our registered team members, I joined in the 5km run, and can report it was a fantastic experience. And my hamstrings are almost back to normal!

I’d like to begin by congratulating the Allan Government on today’s launch of the State Electricity Commission’s Strategic Plan 2023-2025, set to lead Victoria’s renewable energy transition with a focus on supply, homes and people.

The Victorian Chamber is always looking forward and we know workforces are integral to our economic success, which is why we were proud to release our career services policy paper, Boosting Business with Career Services.

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s announcement of a rates increase cast a gloomy shadow over Tuesday's Melbourne Cup celebrations. The decision will impact both businesses and households, exerting additional pressure on those already struggling to make ends meet. The Chamber is cognisant of this strain and we remain committed to supporting and advocating for measures to alleviate the burden on our members.

The WorkCover scheme is broken and no longer fit for purpose. It needs to change in order to survive.