In true Melbourne style, we hosted more than 270 guests at the stunning CENTREPIECE venue at Melbourne Park, while Jamaica was taking on Brazil at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium next door for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Our city was electric!

The annual President‘s Dinner brings together the State’s – and country’s - most influential movers and shakers across private, community and Government sectors to encourage, facilitate and celebrate collaboration. As I told our guests, no issue in the world can be solved without private sector involvement. And echoing Victorian Chamber President Adrian Kloeden’s sentiments, it is business that remains the most trusted institution, ahead of media, government and non-government organisations.

To paraphrase the 2023 Edelman Trust barometer, in uncertain times, business can be trusted to push back against polarisation and pursue rational policies. Business can work across governments and institutions to find pragmatic solutions. Business and industry can promote civil discourse, often starting with their workforces. And business is trusted to tell the truth. It takes then the courage and desire to collaborate to bring that all to the fore. As you all know, it’s that spirit of collaboration that remains a key driver in everything we do.

These are the pillars that lead the Victorian Chamber every day to do what we do best for our members, who are the lifeblood of this organisation. If you add the essence of collaboration to that, we can ensure that Victoria is the best place to live, work, learn and operate a business.

A particular highlight last night was the attendance of seven of our past Presidents! I am sure that is a record and is a testament to the goodwill and positivity that our current President Adrian Kloeden continues to foster. You can view a photo album of the night here.

In other news, I am sure that the RBA’s decision to keep interest rates on hold for a consecutive month was of great relief to many of you. This decision provides some certainty for businesses to plan their investments, borrowing power and expansion. Moreover, steady interest rates encourage consumer spending.

We were excited to host our first Housing Taskforce roundtable this week - the first of six over the month of August to gather our member’s views on viable solutions to the current housing shortage and affordability and shortage crisis. Given the far-reaching impact of this issue, we invite all our members to register and have your say in our policy formation at the coming roundtables.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to comment on the Victorian Government’s major energy reform as announced on Friday last week, with gas connections banned in new homes and government buildings built in Victoria from next year. While this decision has been backed by environmental groups and some property and construction sectors, we are monitoring the impact this will have on Victorian businesses through limiting access to a reliable and cost-effective energy source. Our main concern is whether this reform could discourage potential investors and businesses from establishing operations in Victoria, impacting economic growth and job opportunities in the region.

Congratulations to our Aussie team whose efforts against Canada on Monday night in front of a sold-out crowd was breathtaking to watch, and the entire country will be behind our Matildas this coming Monday when we take on Denmark.

Have a wonderful weekend!