It was a brilliant lunch yesterday for the 250 guests who attended our Talking Energy Transition with Lily D’Ambrosio MP lunch event yesterday. The Minister shared her insights into how the State Government will help business transition to a net-zero economy and I know that there were plenty of people walking out yesterday left feeling optimistic, inspired and recommitted to taking action to reach our state’s climate targets.

 To achieve the Victorian Government’s target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the State’s business community must be united, regardless of size, sector or location.

I’m pleased to announce that the Victorian Chamber’s Policy and Advocacy team will be travelling across the state for the second series of our Victorian Regional Roundtables. We will be providing regional updates including relevant industrial relations updates, as well as facilitating short roundtable discussions to understand our regional members’ insights. We have locked in three dates for  Shepparton, Geelong and Bendigo and hope to announce more dates and locations soon. If you can make it to any close to you, please register for your opportunity to help inform our regional policy advocacy.

We have been amping up our advocacy and offerings across the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space, and are delighted to launch new tools for business this week. You can now complete a two-minute questionnaire to ascertain how much you know about ESG and how it is relevant to your business via our ESG Fit test here. We are also proud to launch our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Fundamentals online self-paced course, which serves as an introduction to ESG where you can learn what it means and the positive impacts of implementing an ESG strategy.

Set your alarms for 1pm on the 18th of April as tickets go on sale for the first National Hockey League game to be played at Australia’s sporting and events capital! What an incredible coup for Melbourne and Rod Laver Arena as we prepare to host two blockbuster showdowns between the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes in a history-making sporting spectacle! Congratulations to Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos and Visit Victoria Chief Executive Brendan McClements who worked hard behind the scenes to secure this opportunity.

Also for the sports fans, the Victoria Racing Club is offering early-bird tickets for this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival from now until July 31.

The strength of our organisation lies in our numbers and our collaboration. We are extremely grateful for the information, insights and support we get from our members to help provide input into our state-wide advocacy. We are proud to launch our new member referral program, which can reward existing members with $100 in workplace support and training credit for every successful referral before 5m Sunday 30 April 2023 with unlimited credit earning potential. If you know professionals, sole traders, entrepreneurs or employers who are not yet a member of Victoria’s peak business body and could benefit from the services, tools and growth opportunities we provide, click here for more information.

Have a wonderful week!