Read here to find out about the federal and state government grants available to Victorian businesses that are still open for applications. But make sure you hurry, as some are closing very soon!

Today is Groundhog Day for Victorian businesses. I know you are all feeling anxious and frustrated as another COVID-19 outbreak from hotel quarantine in Victoria has led to the State Government announcing a five-day lockdown to come into effect from 11.59pm tonight, Friday 12 February 2021.

The Victorian Chamber has launched a campaign for couples to celebrate Valentine’s Day – properly –two weeks later, on 28 February to provide a much-needed boost for hospitality venues and florists blindsided by the sudden circuit breaker lockdown.

Read here for the most up-to-date list of recently announced Government grants available to Victorian businesses, and existing grants still open for applications. Get in quick, some are closing soon.

The Victorian Chamber welcomes today’s State Government announcement that Victoria will return to COVID Safe Summer settings that were in place at Christmas time from 11.59pm tonight.

I hope you took some time out over the long weekend to pause and reflect on the importance of International Women’s Day on Monday.

Victoria is getting its swagger back! I was excited to speak to the media yesterday on the State Government’s announcement of a further easing of restrictions, giving Victorians the signal of confidence we have been waiting for.

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.

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 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.

It is the Victorian Chamber’s goal to make Victoria the best place in Australia to live, work, learn, and operate a business. Our message is simple - business is not only the engine room of the economy, they’re also the heart of our communities.

I know this is a tough time for many of you who will feel shattered by the extension of the fourth lockdown Victoria has endured since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The Federal Government has announced assistance for Victorian workers impacted by Lockdown Four with a disaster payment for those who have missed a week of work or more.

With the end of financial year fast approaching, Pitcher Partners share their insights on the limited-time grants and tax incentives available that businesses and individuals can take advantage of.

The business community in Regional Victoria will be relieved today to hear the news of a further easing of restrictions. There is also good news that essentially every business in the state can now operate. But for some larger metropolitan events, hospitality and entertainment venues, the easing of restrictions have not gone far enough, and we still have a difference in settings between Regional and Metropolitan areas.

Over the next three years, the Solar for Business program will allow 15,000 small Victorian businesses to potentially halve the upfront cost of installing of an approved solar energy system.