This Saturday Victorians will go to the polls in what is shaping as a critical election for our business community after the many challenges of the past three years.

The Victorian Chamber’s new Business Voice survey has revealed high wage expectations and skills shortages are the biggest barriers to filling vacant positions for businesses seeking to hire staff.

One of the great things about Australia is that we live in a democracy. We all had the chance to vote on the weekend and we congratulate Premier Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party on what was a decisive win in the Victorian Election.

The WorkSafe Incentive Scheme for Employers (WISE) offers businesses a rebate of up to $26,000 to employ a worker with work-related injury or illness.

Well, we didn’t get the outcome that we wanted for business with Federal Parliament passing the Industrial Relations Reforms Bill last week. So, we will now be ensuring we support you and your business to understand the impact of the changes and how you can navigate them.

What a year! As this is my last message for 2022, it seems only fitting to end the year on a positive note, with news that office occupancy in Melbourne’s CBD is climbing as Victoria continues its recovery.