The Victorian Chamber has today voiced its concerns over reports that the State Government will increase stamp duty and land tax next year.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg MP has unveiled a ‘Bounce Back’ Budget which aims to boost Australia’s economy by creating jobs, improving skills and investing in the digital economy.

The Victorian Government has announced that from 28 May, all Victorian businesses will be required to use the Victorian Government’s QR Code Service via the Service Victoria app.

The State Government has today announced that all venues and businesses required to undertake electronic record keeping for COVID-19 contact tracing purposes must use the State Government’s QR Code system from 28 May.

The countdown is on to our Victoria Summit Vision Day! Today we officially launched our first major Summit event coming up on 28 May where attendees will come together to map out a bold new vision for Victoria.

Twelve thousand Victorian businesses that were denied the State Government’s $10,000 Small Business Grant will have their applications reconsidered following an investigation by the Ombudsman.

While workers may argue there is ample evidence to support continued remote working arrangements, government health directions are no longer recommending working from home where ‘reasonably practicable,’ subject to density limits.

The Victorian Chamber welcomes the State Government’s announcement that it will reassess 12,000 applications for the first round of the Business Support Fund in response to a Victorian Ombudsman investigation.

On behalf of our members, the Victorian Chamber has made a submission to the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism and events sector.

It was encouraging to see the Federal Government revive the National Cabinet this week to address the issues with the vaccine rollout, bringing the states and territories together to find the best path forward.

The Victorian Chamber’s advocacy to state and federal governments on what businesses need to survive and prosper in a post COVID-19 environment focuses on three key themes which are to enable business, grow business and make it easier to do business.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is advocating for a consolidation budget that will provide the ideal support for Victoria to once again become the engine room of the Australian economy.

Enabling, growing, and improving the ease of doing business in Victoria are the cornerstones of the Victorian Chamber’s submission to the Victorian government ahead of the 2021-22 State Budget.

I hope your Easter Break was a good one. I know many of you are nervous around the recommencement of hotel quarantine on Thursday. Put simply, it is essential this time around the State Government gets the hotel quarantine system right.

With newly-relaxed restrictions, the VCCI hosted the Victorian Leader of the Opposition, The Hon. Michael O’Brien MP, together with the Shadow Cabinet and business leaders in our CBD offices.