Sunday was a good day for most when we heard the State Government’s roadmap had been bought forward. I cannot wait to see the smiles on the faces of business owners, staff and customers when we start to emerge from lockdown in Metropolitan Melbourne this week.

After enduring the world’s longest lockdown and inconsistent periods of extended closures, Victorian businesses are ready to leave the last two, difficult years behind them as they begin reopening under COVID-Normal conditions.

How good was it seeing our state roar back to life over the weekend? It was so exciting to see crowds at events and smiles on the faces of so many as they celebrated Victoria’s reopening over the past few days.

Grab your family, grab your friends, and grab your workmates - it’s time to celebrate and enjoy our state again! The Victorian Chamber was delighted by today’s State Government announcement that it will lift the majority of restrictions across the state which will give all our businesses the best chance to roar back.

Hindsight is a funny thing. Had we known the COVID-19 wrecking ball was coming for us, we would have ducked for cover. We can’t use that excuse anymore.

Just when we thought it was smooth sailing, we’ve hit a slight bump with the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. I know many of you may be experiencing familiar feelings of anxiousness this week with the news of Omicron emerging across the world and here in Australia.

Over the next three years, the Victorian Government’s $64 million Digital Jobs program aims to produce up to 5,000 job-ready candidates with up-to-date digital skills that will help Victorian businesses thrive.

As Victoria emerges from COVID-19, the State Government has bolstered the confidence of organisers of creative, sporting, business and community events to plan and stage events with an interruption insurance scheme and restart package.

Thousands of businesses providing educational experiences for Victorian schoolchildren will be given a boost under the Victorian Government’s $112.9 million Positive Start in 2022 initiative. The funding, announced by Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Education James Merlino, aims to get children back enjoying the experiences they missed out on during Victoria’s lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.

The Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme is ending on 15 January 2022. Although eligible tenants will no longer be entitled to rent relief after this date, tenants and landlords will still have access to support via the Victorian Small Business Commission.

Well, we made it through, and Christmas is now on our doorstep.

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.

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.

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.

The Small Business Energy Saver Program is supporting Victorian small business owners to save on energy-efficient equipment. It will deliver $5 million in discounts to small businesses across Victoria that invest in upgrading their systems.

Welcome to our first edition of Victorian Chamber News for 2022. We know that staff shortages, supply chain issues, isolation requirements, density limits and lack of accessibility to Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) continue to cause difficulty and stress and the Victorian Chamber team is working hard to ensure your voices are heard and practical solutions can be found.