I share your excitement about these figures and am looking forward to Sunday when we are expecting the State Government to announce the progression to the last step of Victoria’s roadmap to recovery.

With the state well on top of the virus, there is no path other than forward for Victorian businesses who are ready and rearing to restore our status as the economic powerhouse of Australia. The next five weeks are the busiest time of the year for many businesses and the anticipated announcement will come as a great relief and cause for excitement.

The challenge now is to continue to be vigilant, follow your COVIDSafe Plans and focus on long term strategies for growth. The Victorian Chamber will continue to advocate to get every Victorian back to work which is why we are calling for a roadmap to get office workers back on site and a strategy to reinstate our renowned events calendar.

We hope the State Budget mirrors the Federal Budget incentives for businesses when it is handed down on Tuesday. The 2020-21 Budget is an important step in our recovery and the Victorian Chamber wants to see the Budget address three key areas which will propel our economy: a plan to create and maintain jobs, strategies to cultivate an environment for the ‘new’ economy and investment in infrastructure. This week we have already seen some Budget announcements around these themes which is positive to see. We will communicate all the details to our members as it is announced on Tuesday, so make sure you stay tuned to our website and socials for updates.

Earlier this week we welcomed eftpos Australia to the Victorian Chamber family and look forward to working with the renowed company in these important times for businesses. The data eftpos has released yesterday shows mixed fortunes across a range of sectors with some doing it tougher than others as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. We’d like to see as many people back to work as possible now so that we can kickstart our economy and put the eftpos machines to work in the lead up to Christmas.

While on the subject of our members, I’d like to congratulate Four Pillars Gin on winning their second consecutive International Gin Producer of the Year Award. You may recall we shared their remarkable story and held a webinar earlier this year with CEO Matt Jones on how they navigated COVID-19 to keep the business afloat.

I hope Matt and his team’s success inspires you to keep putting in the hard yards and stay the course in times of uncertainty and difficulty.

Finally, I’d like to wish this year’s Melbourne Awards finalists every success in their categories as the winners and the Melburnian of the Year is announced tomorrow. The Victorian Chamber is proud to be a principal partner and supporter of the awards that celebrate the amazing people and organisations of our city.

Have a great weekend.

Regards,
Paul

P.S. Our members Pitcher Partners and Bastion Reputation Management have produced a short, anonymous survey which explores your thinking and planning for key aspects of post-COVID-19 working to inform key insights. You can access it here.