The official launch follows extensive consultation with businesses across all sectors around Victoria over the past 12 months including metropolitan and regional roundtable meetings, focus groups, member surveys and the 2021 Victoria Summit which brought together business, education, unions and other key sectors.

Increased cost of living and doing business pressures are continuing to create ongoing economic challenges. Businesses need pragmatic solutions that provide certainty for them to plan. They provide a critical role in the State’s economic prosperity and after several challenging years, we need to look forward with an economic plan that will see our state prosper.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Paul Guerra said: “Businesses are the heart of Victoria’s communities. They provide economic growth, jobs, support and vibrancy. When business does well, Victoria does well and our communities thrive.

“We have listened closely to businesses across Victoria and we will advocate for their priorities to power Victoria’s future. Business has kept us moving forward over the past two and half years and it must now play a leading role in our recovery and future prosperity.

“This is our plan to strengthen Victoria’s jobs and skills, make Victoria the best state to operate a business, drive Victoria’s economy and grow Regional Victoria.”

The Victorian Chamber’s State Election Platform identifies 61 recommendations around four key pillars:

• Strengthening Victoria’s jobs and skills: focusing on skills, training and higher education, and workforce participation
• Building Victoria as the best state to operate a business: covering areas such as regulation, tax and procurement
• Driving Victoria’s economy: through manufacturing, clean energy and sustainable infrastructure, the visitor economy, and supply chain
• Growing Regional Victoria: focusing on skilled labour and investment, Australia’s food bowl, accessibility, connectivity and infrastructure, tourism and events.

Of the recommendations, 20 are identified as primary recommendations, with highlights including:

• Develop a standardised microcredential framework to enable the rapid reskilling and upskilling of the workforce.
• Commit to drive towards zero youth unemployment by 2026 and implement a careers strategy in primary and secondary school curriculum to equip students with the knowledge and tools to make informed skilling and career choices.
• Increase the payroll tax threshold from $700,000 to $1.2 million across Victoria to be comparable with NSW’s payroll tax rate and decrease the rate from 1.21 per cent to zero in Regional Victoria to increase regional attractiveness for business investment and growth.
• Allow businesses seeking to pre-qualify as suppliers to the Victorian Government to fulfil screening requirements via a single form to streamline procurement processes.
• Fund Visit Victoria to develop a detailed 10-year experience economy strategy to restore and retain Victoria’s reputation for great experiences focusing on tourism and events.
• Create and fund a 10-year Victorian Manufacturing Strategy to boost Victoria’s local manufacturing in existing and emerging industries.
• Create a housing development scheme to expand housing supply and planning in Regional Victoria.

The full 2022 State Election Platform can be read via this link victorianchamber.com.au/poweringvic.

Policy and Advocacy

VCCI is Victoria’s peak business body, representing the collective voice of 50,000 members and clients. We advocate for better conditions for Victorian businesses, so that every business – small, medium, family or large – can start up, grow and thrive.

In the lead-up to the election the Victorian Chamber will expand on its platform and its recommendations through media activity and meetings and events with stakeholders.