The 2022-23 State Budget must enable business to play a leading role in Victoria’s economic recovery according to the Victorian Chamber.

Habits can be hard to break and I’m sure we all felt a bit uncertain last week as office workers started to return after the better part of two years working from home.

‘Building back business’ and ‘building for our future’ are the cornerstones of the Victorian Chamber’s submission to the Australian Government ahead of the 2022-23 Federal Budget.

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 State Government is encouraging Victorians to experience the state’s renowned hospitality, tourism and creative industries with more than $100 million in rebates and vouchers, while businesses are also in line for $100 million in stimulus programs.

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 Victorian Chamber was honoured to host former United Kingdom Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Theresa May MP, with members and special guests at an exclusive luncheon at the Palladium at Crown.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.