Taking the temperature of the Victorian business community over the past few weeks, there is a distinctive chill in the confidence barometer. 

I was fortunate to catch up this week with an extremely impressive woman in Freda Miriklis, Chair of the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network (CBWN). The Victorian Chamber first cemented our connection with the CWBN in Geneva at the World Chambers Congress, where our Chamber Change program was a finalist in the Best Gender Equity Project category in the World Chambers Competition. It was great to discuss how we are going to collaborate with the CWBN to continue our work to help empower women in business.

Workers and employers continue to navigate the balance of working from home and in the office.

According to LaunchVic CEO Kate Cornick, the average business founder is 42 years old, “so it's never too late to start a startup”.

As a former international student, Jackson Yin knows the difficulties of finding employment in an overseas country. It’s why his business is giving back to multicultural youth in Australia through the Victorian Chamber’s internship program with Youth Activating Youth (YAY) and Jobs Victoria.

I hope this finds you well. I, for one, am still buzzing from last night’s Victorian Chamber President’s Dinner – our night of nights where we get to celebrate our members and the contribution that business makes to our great state.

Revamped Melbourne Chamber of Commerce (MCC) member categories enable businesses to gain maximum value from targeted networking and corporate entertaining, policy shaping, business advising and support, and brand building.

According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, “any market economy will function much more effectively if the population is knowledgeable, forward-looking and financially literate”.

Ethnic name discrimination highlights glass ceilings do exist in the workplace, according to a Monash Business School study.

In another busy week for the Victorian Chamber, the hallways of our Collins St headquarters on Tuesday best demonstrated the role we play across all levels and sides of government.

A new discussion paper launched by the Victorian Opposition encourages people to have their say on Victoria’s tax system – which has introduced 50 new or increased taxes since 2014 and is described as “discouraging investment and job creation in our State”.

While we usually open with a positive message, there is no way to sugarcoat the blow of the news that Victoria will no longer be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The Victorian Government will not proceed with hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026, advising the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) that it will be terminating the Host Agreement.

In 2023, one thing is undeniable: the future is digital. Right now, research shows that 64 per cent of all Australians use digital skills in their jobs. Within the next five years, that number is expected to grow to 90 per cent.  

Victorian businesses to equip workers with cutting-edge digital skills for the future through Digital Jobs for Manufacturing

Applications are open to offer hands-on experience for hundreds of technology students and recent graduates, in turn helping ease the skills shortage in Victoria.