The Federal Government’s intention to work with Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland on a domestic reservation policy on new gas fields is welcome news for manufacturers and other industries reliant on energy.

But this is just one of many reforms needed to avoid the energy and feedstock crisis affecting all Australian businesses.

The Victorian Chamber is calling for an integrated national energy policy to ensure reliable supplies of affordable and clean electricity and gas; greater attention on bringing forward investment to develop offshore gas fields, and increased transparency and competition in the gas market, pipelines and storage.

The bottom line is, high gas prices put Victorian businesses at risk. The Victorian Government needs to participate in a domestic gas reservation policy and lift the moratorium on onshore gas exploration if it is serious about stemming job losses and keeping the state’s businesses afloat.

In other news, we have released our July-December 2019 course directory, which includes a wide variety of training programs tailored to cover every part of running a successful, contemporary business. If you haven’t already done so, you can download a copy of the directory online and see how you and your staff can engage us to assist in moving your business forward.

On a final note, we are proud to again sponsor the Australian Food Awards (AFA), conducted by The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV). To be held on 5 September at the Melbourne Showgrounds, AFA is Australia’s leading national food awards program, providing producers, large and small, broad opportunities to leverage success locally and internationally - and the chance to benchmark their products and establish their food industry credentials.

The Victorian Chamber is a big supporter of the AFA program, which aligns with our work to develop this vital sector and assist small and medium-sized businesses to grow domestically as well as to identify and capitalise on export opportunities. The 2019 AFA Presentation Dinner is taking place during Global Table. Find out more information and book your ‘seat at the table’, today.