It’s a brand-new year but if we were hoping that 2022 would be the opportunity to step out of the COVID washing machine cycle, we may have all been a tad premature in our optimism. 

A third COVID-19 vaccination is now required for workers within certain essential industries, and close contact isolation arrangements have also changed for food and beverage distribution workers, as part of Victorian Government pandemic orders announced today.

Additional sectors will be relieved from close contact isolation requirements to ease supply chain bottlenecks and workforce shortages after an announcement today by the Victorian Government.

The Victorian Chamber welcomes the State Government’s extension of rent relief and protections for commercial tenants and landlords for another two months due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regulations that previously required WorkSafe to be notified if an employee, contractor or a contractor's employee received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and had attended the workplace within their infectious period have been removed.

In efforts to address current workforce shortages due to COVID-19 and aid Australia’s economic recovery, the Australian Government has amended visa conditions for student and working holiday makers.

The Small Business Energy Saver Program is supporting Victorian small business owners to save on energy-efficient equipment. It will deliver $5 million in discounts to small businesses across Victoria that invest in upgrading their systems.

The Victorian Chamber is pleased to extend an invitation to our members and clients to participate in a design workshop to help identify innovative and practical education approaches to improve equality in the workplace.

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.

The Victorian Chamber applauds National Cabinet’s decision to reopen Australia's borders to all double-vaccinated visa holders on February 21, following an announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Did you know that starting a business in Victoria requires operators to navigate more permits and licences than any other state? The time it takes to jump through these regulatory hoops is just one of the costs of doing business in Victoria. The Chamber has listened to our members’ concerns about how these barriers are impacting them and has responded with this comprehensive report that provides the first benchmarking exercise of its kind in Australia.

The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce legislation that will make COVID-19 testing expenses tax deductible for individuals and businesses when used to attend a place of work.

After much debate the Morrison Government will not continue with legislation that included provisions to make discrimination on the grounds of religious belief or activity unlawful in a range of areas (including employment and education).

The State Government has eased several restrictions around density limits, QR check-ins and surveillance testing, with changes to office settings flagged, but yet to be formalised.

The State Government is dropping the ‘strong recommendation’ that Victorians work from home, while masks will no longer be needed in offices and most other indoor settings, following the latest update to Pandemic Orders.

The Victorian Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy. 'Recycling Victoria: A new economy' is the Victorian Government’s 10-year circular economy policy and action plan to fundamentally transform the state’s recycling sector, reduce waste, create thousands of jobs and set Victoria up for a more sustainable future.