October is finally here, and we are three weeks or less from hitting the 70 per cent target to start the reopening. It’s within sight now, and we can finally start to think about waving goodbye to lockdowns forever. The Victorian Chamber is continuing our push for the State Government to revise openings at both the 70 and 80 per cent targets.

The Suburban Rail Loop released its Business and Investment Case in August 2021 outlining how it will deliver more jobs, better services, and access to housing as Victoria continues to grow.

Sunday was a good day for most when we heard the State Government’s roadmap had been bought forward. I cannot wait to see the smiles on the faces of business owners, staff and customers when we start to emerge from lockdown in Metropolitan Melbourne this week.

How good was it seeing our state roar back to life over the weekend? It was so exciting to see crowds at events and smiles on the faces of so many as they celebrated Victoria’s reopening over the past few days.

Grab your family, grab your friends, and grab your workmates - it’s time to celebrate and enjoy our state again! The Victorian Chamber was delighted by today’s State Government announcement that it will lift the majority of restrictions across the state which will give all our businesses the best chance to roar back.

Hindsight is a funny thing. Had we known the COVID-19 wrecking ball was coming for us, we would have ducked for cover. We can’t use that excuse anymore.

Just when we thought it was smooth sailing, we’ve hit a slight bump with the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. I know many of you may be experiencing familiar feelings of anxiousness this week with the news of Omicron emerging across the world and here in Australia.

Well, we made it through, and Christmas is now on our doorstep.

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.

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.

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.

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

Yesterday we celebrated International Women’s Day, a global event marking the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and amplifying the call for diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces.

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.

The Chamber is working overtime to ensure business remains our number one priority. As we have done right through the pandemic, we are continuing to advocate strongly on behalf of our members with all levels of government in what will be a critical year with both federal and state elections.

It’s hard to describe what an incredible feeling it is to finally be able to move around our great state again and enjoy all Regional Victoria has to offer, whether it’s our beautiful towns, beaches, lakes, rivers, wineries, golf courses or restaurants.