On Tuesday we had the privilege of partnering with the Herald Sun to host our second annual “Future Victoria” lunch at Crown Melbourne’s spectacular Aviary event space.

National Safe Work Month is held every October, with this year’s theme being ‘for everyone’s safety, work safely’.

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

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has officially released our Housing Taskforce Report containing 36 policy recommendations to tackle our housing crisis.

With a new Premier and Deputy, it’s a new dawn in Victoria. The business community is ready to play our part for the future we all aspire to. 

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 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.

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.

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 wants to hear from businesses about their experience with the housing crisis. In particular, the causes and impacts of the housing crisis on your business, including finding and relocating staff, the rental market, planning constraints and changes to the tax system.  

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 Chamber rejects short-term rental caps and registration fees proposed by the City of Melbourne to help ease the housing crisis.