To see thousands of people turn out for the Grand Final parade and then 100,000 fans pack into the MCG to witness the all-conquering Cats was to realise that Melbourne is returning to normal. And how good was the pre-game show featuring the brilliant Robbie Williams and our own superstar Delta Goodrem! It was a great week, and the feedback around the Victorian Chamber’s Pitcher Partners Grand Final lunch has been fantastic.

Most of you know that I’m no stranger to Regional Victoria. One of the joys of 2022 has been reconnecting with Regional Victoria and enjoying everything our great state has to offer.

In recent months I’ve visited Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Traralgon, Mildura, Warrnambool, Colac, Shepparton and Wodonga to listen to our members and learn about the issues affecting business in our regions.

We’ve conducted roundtable meetings, focus groups and member surveys and the result is our State Election Regional Platform, Growing Regional Victoria, which we are delighted to launch today as we look ahead to the Victorian Election on November 26.

Regional Victoria is the lifeblood of Victoria’s economy and its growth will play a key role in powering Victoria’s future. Our regions are home to one in four Victorians and account for 700,000 jobs and almost 40 per cent of the State’s small businesses.

Victoria is also Australia’s biggest food producer and in 2026 will host the first truly regional Commonwealth Games. For Regional Victoria to prosper we need to position it for success by improving housing, planning and infrastructure and developing economic strategies to grow our regions.

As Victoria’s peak business body representing businesses right across the State, the Victorian Chamber has made 17 recommendations covering jobs and skills, agriculture, transport, manufacturing, housing, tourism and events. I want to thank all of our members who’ve contributed to this platform to help grow Regional Victoria and I invite you to read more here.

Grand Final week provided a much-needed boost to our spirits, not to mention our economy as we welcomed thousands of visitors from interstate and our hospitality, retail events and accommodation sectors enjoyed the benefits of the long weekend. It felt like an important turning point as Melbourne came alive and our regions also benefited from the school holidays.

There is still some way to go of course, which is why we were surprised and disappointed by the City of Melbourne’s decision to reintroduce fees for the popular outdoor dining program. We believe these should be waived for the remainder of spring and summer to allow businesses to continue to recover as we emerge from winter and as many of them are still experiencing weaker than normal trade on weekdays.

Following the success of our Grand Final lunch (check out the pics here) we have more fantastic events coming up. On Wednesday 12 October we will host a Victorian Chamber Business Lunch with the Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor, who will outline the Government’s plans to build a skilled workforce for the future and lift productivity. You can book your tickets here.

And on Friday October 14 the Victorian Chamber presents our Melbourne Cup Lunch trackside at Flemington Racecourse. Enjoy a two-course premium lunch and drinks and hear from Melbourne Cup winning jockey Damien Oliver, VRC Chief Executive Officer Steve Rosich and racing personality and presenter Emma Freedman in the lead-up to the biggest race in Australia. Make sure you book now to avoid missing out!

The footy may be over but attention now turns to the Melbourne Royal Show, AFLW, Spring Racing and Moto GP which are about to get into full swing and I can’t wait! Have a great rest of the week.