The 2022-23 State Budget must enable business to play a leading role in Victoria’s economic recovery according to the Victorian Chamber.

Habits can be hard to break and I’m sure we all felt a bit uncertain last week as office workers started to return after the better part of two years working from home.

‘Building back business’ and ‘building for our future’ are the cornerstones of the Victorian Chamber’s submission to the Australian Government ahead of the 2022-23 Federal Budget.

Belle Lim was an international student in Victoria and had just graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences when, looking to the future, she found it hard to form industry connections and seek role models to relate to. From this, Future Female was born.

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.

The Victorian Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy. 'Recycling Victoria: A new economy' is the Victorian Government’s 10-year circular economy policy and action plan to fundamentally transform the state’s recycling sector, reduce waste, create thousands of jobs and set Victoria up for a more sustainable future.

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.

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 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.

Did you know that starting a business in Victoria requires operators to navigate more permits and licences than any other state? The time it takes to jump through these regulatory hoops is just one of the costs of doing business in Victoria. The Chamber has listened to our members’ concerns about how these barriers are impacting them and has responded with this comprehensive report that provides the first benchmarking exercise of its kind in Australia.

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.

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.

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.

The Victorian Chamber is pleased to extend an invitation to our members and clients to participate in a design workshop to help identify innovative and practical education approaches to improve equality in the workplace.

The Small Business Energy Saver Program is supporting Victorian small business owners to save on energy-efficient equipment. It will deliver $5 million in discounts to small businesses across Victoria that invest in upgrading their systems.

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.