Victoria’s perspective is crucial to delivering strong outcomes and that’s why the Victorian Chamber has joined with Victorian leaders from business, universities and other key industry groups to take a joint communique to the Summit.

I thank everyone involved for their input, and the communique is now with the Premier, ACCI and other national industry leaders as they head into the Summit.

We know that when we work together in partnership we can achieve so much and I joined Victorian Trades Hall Council Secretary Luke Hilakari and Bendigo Kangan Institute CEO Sally Curtain to discuss the Summit with Neil Mitchell on 3AW this week.

As I’ve said, this is a generational opportunity to address the most pressing issue facing the Australian economy and my hope is that we come out of it with meaningful actions that lift productivity, lead to greater participation and build a highly skilled and inclusive workforce for the future.

It’s an opportunity to seize the moment and embrace sensible risk taking that will establish Victoria as a key driver of economic prosperity in Australia. We know that when business does well, Victoria does well.

The return of Spring is like a starter gun to Victoria’s bumper events season, and for the first time since 2019 this should be the first full, unimpeded and restriction-free run of our iconic events.

The AFL Finals kick off tonight and these will be closely followed by the Royal Melbourne Show, Spring Racing Carnival and ICC T20 World Cup. With school holidays also approaching, there’s never been a better time to enjoy all that’s great about our beautiful state.

They will provide a massive boost for our iconic events, hospitality and retail sectors which have taken such a hammering over the past two years. With winter behind us, it’s a fantastic time to reconnect with family, friends and colleagues.

We know the winter infections peak is behind us so hopefully we will now see more people coming back into the office and enjoying all the benefits of face-to-face working. We encourage all business leaders, private and public sector, to engage and collaborate with their employees to continue a return to the office.

The future of the daytime CBD economy relies on more people coming back to the office. While every business will likely have different arrangements on returning to the office, we all share a responsibility to ensure the CBD recovers and adapts to a post-COVID environment.

I’d like to acknowledge our Melbourne Chamber of Commerce member News Corporation for their `Comeback Melbourne’ advocacy campaign which continues to highlight the importance of supporting of CBD businesses. It’s been a pleasure for the Victorian Chamber to be involved.

I’d also like to mention the Victorian Government’s Small Business Specialist Advice Grants which will provide $2,000 to 2,500 eligible Victorian small businesses that are established and have been operating since at least 1 July 2020, to help pay for specialist business advice from an accountant, bookkeeper or lawyer. You can find more details here. It is expected that these grants will go quickly, so make haste and enquire if you are interested!

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the finals.