This week Is National Skin Cancer Action week and coupled with the heat and sunny weather experienced across the state recently comes the important reminder of sun protection and early skin cancer detection for all Australians, including workers.

On this date next year, Victorians will be heading to the polls to cast their vote in the 2018 State Election. Ahead of what is sure to be an interesting year, the Victorian Chamber delivered yet another successful Victoria Summit yesterday at Parliament House in Melbourne.

Over 100 of Victoria’s business leaders gathered at Parliament House, Melbourne on 23 November to discuss and explore the release of the Victorian Chamber’s key recommendations to keep Victoria competitive into 2018 and beyond.

Working for business, working for Victoria, the summer 2017 edition of Business Excellence magazine has a special focus on Victoria’s future.

Over the previous month, the Victorian Chamber’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing team has delivered a series of workplace mental health briefings to over 330 members and clients in Melbourne and around the state.

Efforts to strengthen Victorian apprenticeships and traineeships received a boost last week with the launch of the Victorian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Taskforce report by the Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney, and Victorian Skills Commissioner, Neil Coulson

A Chinese restaurant in New South Wales, was issued with a Notice to produce records and documents, by a Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) Inspector in September 2014.

Here at the Victorian Chamber, we have had a busy year. The team has successfully delivered close to 150 industry events, and yesterday we presented our final for 2017, a lunch with renowned Australian journalist Lisa Wilkinson AM, at Palladium, Crown.

Every evening we watch the television news and see and hear about vehicle accidents that were caused by drivers who were distracted, most often using their mobile telephones. We also see on our TV screens videos of drivers using their mobile telephones to either make or take a call or to text whilst driving. We all know the risks of driving and using our mobile telephones but many, if not most of us, still do it.

Last week the Victorian Chamber released the summer edition of our online Business Excellence magazine, which has a special focus on the future of Melbourne and what may lie in store over the next 10 or 20 years and beyond.

The Victorian Government has committed to developing gender equality legislation and is currently consulting with businesses and the community on what they would like included in the legislation and how it might be rolled out.

Round 3 of the Victorian Government’s New Energy Jobs Fund is open for applications. Grant funding of between $50,000 and $1 million is available with applications closing at 2pm on 1 March 2018.

An employer, who summarily dismissed a worker for timesheet and GPS data discrepancies, has successfully defended an unfair dismissal claim in the Fair Work Commission (the “Commission”).

A recent Full Bench decision of the Fair Work Commission (the “Commission”) found an employee’s employment had been terminated at the initiative of the employer when his fixed term contract was not renewed beyond its expiry date.

A Coles Supermarket employee summarily dismissed for breaching the Code of Conduct by sending inappropriate messages to his manager has had his unfair dismissal claim rejected.

The New Year is well underway and so is planning for the year ahead. With businesses returning from their summer breaks, January provides a good opportunity to plan and set new goals for 2018.