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.

Entrepreneur and founder of JSHealth, Jessica Sepel, has told the Victorian Chamber’s annual women in business luncheon how she built her wellness empire.

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.

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 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.

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.

Flood-affected businesses and organisations can apply for assistance as part of a $877 million Commonwealth and Victorian Governments recovery support package.

I am delighted that the Victorian Chamber Board endorsed Adrian Kloeden as President and Jeremy Blackshaw as Deputy President at Tuesday’s Victorian Chamber AGM. Congratulations to Adrian and Jeremy and thank you to Karyn Sobels for her successful tenure as President.

I’m excited to be Acting Chief Executive of the Victorian Chamber this week while Paul Guerra is in Paris bidding on behalf of Melbourne to secure the 14th World Chambers Congress here in 2025.

With the Melbourne Cup run and won, the focus now turns to another race - the Victorian Election on November 26. The official campaign began yesterday and the Victorian Chamber released the first of a series of advocacy videos to promote our State Election Platform, Powering Victoria’s Future.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down his first Budget on Tuesday night and the Victorian Chamber was pleased to see our advocacy reflected in a number of primary areas that will assist business.

The Victorian Coalition has promised to reduce payroll tax for up to 28,000 businesses if it wins the State Election on November 26.

The floods across the state are another powerful reminder of the natural disasters Australians endure. In Victoria, the pandemic has been bookended by bushfires and floods, causing more disruption for thousands of people.

With Victoria’s pandemic declaration expired at 11.59pm last night, it’s time for us to get on with life and for business to continue its recovery as we focus on the future.

The Victorian Chamber has unveiled its 2022-2023 Federal Budget Submission with priorities that, if delivered, will create thousands of jobs, help businesses thrive and significantly increase economic activity

Businesses with a presence in regional Victoria are encouraged to have their say on the state’s business conditions.