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

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is urging businesses to review their standard form contracts and remove or change any unfair terms before new penalties take effect.

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.

The Australian Government has released an employment White Paper that provides a roadmap of actions being taken, and further reform required, to support the Australian labour market into the future.

The Victorian Chamber has released a first-of-its-kind Cyber Security and Scams Policy Position with 24 pragmatic recommendations to protect small, medium and family businesses from cyber criminals, in a comprehensive cyber suite that includes a Security Checklist and Self-Paced Training for businesses.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has officially launched our first-of-its-kind Cyber Security and Scams Policy Position. This document outlines the steps Australia must take to achieve the Government’s ambition of becoming the most cyber secure nation by 2030.

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.

Businesses and employees are vulnerable targets of illegal trade, according to Crime Stoppers in its latest campaign targeting workplaces.

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.

The Victorian Chamber’s Managing Mental Health in the Workplace training can improve your ability to manage complex mental health issues in the workplace.

One in three adults in Australia say they are lonely, AIA Australia reports.

Safe Work Australia (SWA) recently published new resources on managing work health and safety (WHS) risks when workers are doing computer-based work from home.  

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.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry opposes the Federal Government’s Closing the Loopholes Bill which would reduce Victorian workers’ flexibility and freedom, drive up costs for consumers and make it more difficult to run a business not only in Victoria, but across Australia.

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.

The Victorian Government pilot scheme enabling casual, contract, self-employed workers access to sick and carer’s pay has been expanded and now includes more occupations.