I hope you all had a wonderful and safe long weekend. It was certainly great to have a break, and hopefully some of you can enjoy extra time with your children as we enter school holidays.

We saw Melbourne at its best over the weekend as we played host to a Melbourne-record Formula One crowd of more than 440,000 people at Albert Park.

Having come straight from the Albert Park track this morning from the Victorian Chamber and Keolis Downer Grand Prix™ Breakfast, I can tell you that Melbourne is certainly in for a treat this weekend!

How good is it to have the AFL back? Four action packed days and evenings resulted in some nail-biting results for round one, and I have to say, the ladder is looking spectacular to this Essendon supporter!

The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has reported an increase in renewable investments but not enough to reach renewable energy targets.

I hope you all made the most of the long weekend and those who opened or worked did a roaring trade, the weather was certainly in full cooperation!

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, a global event that recognises the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, raises awareness about discrimination and drives gender parity.

In a major $2.35 billion energy announcement on Tuesday, Victoria was chosen as preferred location for the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project – a collaboration involving the Japanese, Australian and Victorian Governments.

There goes summer for another year. Not quite the warm weather we had hoped for, but we look ahead to what autumn brings, particularly with the Moomba Festival, AFL Season, Grand Prix, and the highly anticipated opening of “& Juliet” not far away.

I’ve been asked to address a number of different forums in recent weeks to give the Chamber’s view on the outlook for business for 2023 and the role of business in driving economic growth.

I’ve spent a large part of the last week engaging with various stakeholders including Victorian Government Ministers and our members about the rising costs involved with running a business, escalating electricity and gas prices, and what the road to net zero looks like.

Well, it seems we are going to have to get used to interest rates continuing to rise if this weeks commentary is anything to go by. I’m sure you all felt the impact of the latest interest rate rise in some way. It’s another cost increase that will hit most businesses either directly or indirectly via the potential decline in consumer spending.

The Victorian Chamber has released a roadmap aimed at helping reduce energy prices, ensure the reliability of energy supply, capitalise on investment opportunities and support businesses in the transition to a net-zero economy.

The CEO of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games Jeroen Weimar says the event will present significant opportunities for Victorian businesses, particularly those in the regions.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) has become something of a buzz term in business. But what does it really mean and why is it good for business?

It’s great to be back after a break enjoying Regional Victoria and thank you to Chanelle, Scott and the team for doing such a fantastic job while I was away. It has already been a big week as school holidays finish and students head back to the classroom. No doubt there’s been a few tears shed by parents of those children starting school and even some tears of joy for parents of those returning!