It’s a brand-new year but if we were hoping that 2022 would be the opportunity to step out of the COVID washing machine cycle, we may have all been a tad premature in our optimism. 

A third COVID-19 vaccination is now required for workers within certain essential industries, and close contact isolation arrangements have also changed for food and beverage distribution workers, as part of Victorian Government pandemic orders announced today.

Additional sectors will be relieved from close contact isolation requirements to ease supply chain bottlenecks and workforce shortages after an announcement today by the Victorian Government.

The Victorian Chamber welcomes the State Government’s extension of rent relief and protections for commercial tenants and landlords for another two months due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regulations that previously required WorkSafe to be notified if an employee, contractor or a contractor's employee received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and had attended the workplace within their infectious period have been removed.

In efforts to address current workforce shortages due to COVID-19 and aid Australia’s economic recovery, the Australian Government has amended visa conditions for student and working holiday makers.

Welcome to our first edition of Victorian Chamber News for 2022. We know that staff shortages, supply chain issues, isolation requirements, density limits and lack of accessibility to Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) continue to cause difficulty and stress and the Victorian Chamber team is working hard to ensure your voices are heard and practical solutions can be found.

In partnership with Crown Melbourne, the Victorian Chamber is running free online seminars designed to help regional businesses bounce back after consecutive lockdowns and sparse tourism.

If you were lucky enough to get in a break over the school holidays, you would have noticed the crippling effect that Covid-19 is having on our small businesses across the state.

The Victorian Chamber applauds National Cabinet’s decision to reopen Australia's borders to all double-vaccinated visa holders on February 21, following an announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

It’s the report that you helped us create, and one that might well sharpen the focus on what Victoria needs to do to be the best state to operate a business in. I’m very proud of to release the Cost and Ease of Doing Business in Victoria Taskforce Report.

The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce legislation that will make COVID-19 testing expenses tax deductible for individuals and businesses when used to attend a place of work.

The State Government has eased several restrictions around density limits, QR check-ins and surveillance testing, with changes to office settings flagged, but yet to be formalised.

The State Government is dropping the ‘strong recommendation’ that Victorians work from home, while masks will no longer be needed in offices and most other indoor settings, following the latest update to Pandemic Orders.

Great news this week with several positive developments to set us on a cracking pace for our state’s COVID-19 recovery.

Amid the recent return-to-office announcement, there is no better time to foster a resilient workplace through the Victorian Chamber’s extensive catalogue of training courses, that are now returning to an in-person format.