Melbourne Chamber members CSIRO and Swinburne University have established a new partnership to tackle global decarbonisation with innovative green steel and mineral processing research and development. 

A new round of the Energy Efficiency Grants (EEG) program will provide eligible small and medium businesses up to $25,000 to purchase energy efficient equipment.

I am proud to announce the release of our 2024-2025 Victorian Budget Submission. This comprehensive document, shaped by extensive industry consultation and survey data, presents 44 policy recommendations.

I am thrilled to be back on deck after a summer break. While it hasn’t been our usual, hot summer, it was nice to have a break. I managed to spend a few days up on the Murray... the golf was good, the weather was nice, but sadly the river was suffering from the increased water from the rains that flooded the Campaspe and Goulburn Rivers. It’s an excuse to get back up there sooner rather than later though!!

A Victorian Government initiative to help more women enter and succeed in the energy and manufacturing sectors is now open.

It’s great to be back after a summer break, especially to return to the news of so many positive developments and accolades for our members.

The new year brings optimism and hope, and trepidation of what may lie ahead. While current and emerging conditions will continue to challenge our business community, the Victorian Chamber continues to have your back and advocate on your behalf.

There’s one recurring question I’ve been asked over recent weeks: “What’s your outlook for 2024?”

Growth. It's a concept we need to get familiar with again. It will dominate discussion over the next few years, and so it should.

As the end of the year approaches, most workers will enjoy a break and then set goals for next year.

I have spent the morning representing the Chamber at the State Parliamentary Inquiry into WorkCover to ensure the views of business are heard.

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.

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 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.

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.