Our final major event of the year - our inspirational Women in Business lunch, featuring a captivating conversation between our brilliant MC, Alicia Loxley, and our distinguished guest, the Honourable Linda Dessau AC CVO - has been the highlight of my week.

From struggling to attend primary school to now thriving in the workplace, 2023 Victorian Trainee of the Year Rebecca Hope is paving the way for youth and disability employment.

I wanted to ensure you are kept across the WorkCover Bill amendments. We have been working with both the Government and Opposition to ensure they understand a premium increase beyond CPI is not acceptable. We also continue to state that we support necessary changes to make the scheme sustainable. We all need it.

The 2023 Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Gender Equality Scorecard has highlighted the good and the bad for workplace equity in Australia.

The Industry Growth Program provides support services and matched grant funding of up to $5 million for innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to commercialise and grow their business.

In the ever-expanding gamut of business concerns, cyber threats lurk in the shadows until emerging as menaces.

The Federal Government yesterday announced that more than half a billion dollars’ worth of measures will be dedicated to Australia’s landmark cyber security strategy until 2030, which includes $290.8 million to uplift small and medium businesses, $143 billion to defend critical infrastructure and $129.7 million to build regional cooperation and resilience.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry commends the Federal Government's commitment to enhancing national cyber security through its recently unveiled 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy.

The 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy is a roadmap aiming to make Australia a world leader in cyber security by 2030.

A new initiative created with input from the Victorian Chamber is providing a platform for industry to co-design training with TAFEs and dual-sector universities.

Melbourne Chamber member Yarra Trams’ operator Keolis Downer is linking with North Melbourne Football Club on providing pathways for women into the rail industry.

The Federal Government has announced two new initiatives to support small and medium businesses to strengthen their cyber security capabilities.

We have been closely engaged with Spring Street this week as the Parliament considers new legislation to overhaul Victoria’s archaic WorkCover scheme. The Victorian Chamber continues to advocate strongly for a fair and sustainable scheme that remains accessible to workers and affordable for businesses.

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

One cyber incident is reported every six minutes, according to the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC’s) latest Annual Cyber Threat Report, a 23 per cent increase on the year before.

Employers are invited to have their say on how Victoria can boost women’s participation in manufacturing and energy industries.