Yesterday we had the privilege of hosting one of Australia’s most impressive and resilient business leaders, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, at our popular Victoria Chamber Presents series.

With more than 400 guests at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, it was the biggest event we’ve hosted since COVID-19 hit two years ago. Alan shared his insights into how he’s led Australia’s national carrier through one of its biggest crises and the tough decisions that impacted thousands of lives as the airline faced possible collapse.

Alan’s candor, humility and tremendous positivity despite the enormous challenges Qantas has endured was inspiring. Importantly, Qantas is rebounding strongly as domestic and international travel gathers speed despite new challenges created by rising fuel prices as result of the conflict in the Ukraine.

Qantas typifies the resilience shown by so many businesses here in Victoria over the past two years. We’ve survived extensive lockdowns that have severely tested businesses across the State but we are now bouncing back with gusto.

But as Alan Joyce said, there are still challenges ahead. He agreed that we need to move faster to relax isolation and mask rules which continue to negatively impact business. We need to remove any unnecessary barriers and allow businesses to flourish as we approach Easter and the busy school holiday period.

We also need to continue to boost support for Victoria’s tourism sector and to expand our world-class portfolio of major events. This includes supporting Melbourne Airport’s plan for a third runway and I encourage you to get behind this important plan to further boost our visitor economy.

The Chamber is looking forward to the economic, international and domestic benefits that a third runway will bring to Victoria and we are certain that it will significantly contribute to our goal to grow our annual passenger numbers to more than 76 million by 2042. There is less than 30 days to have your say, and you can find all the information here.

The resilience of the Victorian business community and the enduring partnership with the Victorian Chamber was also on show last Thursday when we gathered at the State Library for the annual President’s Dinner. It was an opportunity to honour some of our longest serving members in the 171-year history of the Chamber and reflect on our remarkable journey together.

Our members have kept the economy moving and millions of Victorians employed throughout the rich history of our State. As our President Karyn Sobels reflected, it is your message we take to governments, it’s your future we support, and it’s the jobs of your employees we work to help you grow.

Speaking of growing Victoria, I’m looking forward to being a part of the Australia-ASEAN Business Forum in Melbourne next month. It will cover the opportunities and challenges across five industry sectors: advanced manufacturing, education, health and medical industries, digital transformation and food & agriculture.

This is a fantastic opportunity for members of the business community to engage with ASEAN, build our expertise and strengthen regional partnerships. Victoria’s changing economic landscape puts us in a unique position to create trade opportunities with some our nearest regional neighbours and we have so much to achieve by diversifying and growing our reputation in new markets.

More information on the Australia-ASEAN Business Forum and registration details can be found here.

Have a great week and I hope to see you at the track!