The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been advocating for pro-business policies at the highest levels of government in the lead up to the State Budget and we have welcomed some of the pre-budget announcements already released.

Earlier this week we welcomed the $90 million funding boost in an expanded Investment Attraction and Assistance Program to help create and retain jobs in priority industries like manufacturing and aviation.

Our number one road project, the North East Link, was also allocated $100 million earlier this week to plan the route and ensure the project is ready to go by the November 2018 state election.

We were also pleased to see a two-year commitment of $44.4 million to maintain the state’s agricultural biosecurity, protecting access to international markets and supporting regional jobs.

These measures are included in recommendations from the Victorian Chamber’s Agribusiness Taskforce final report, Harvesting Growth for Victoria.

We have also advocated for a $23 million funding boost to be directed to Visit Victoria annually, to build on the sector as a key driver of regional and state economic growth, exports and employment.

More detail on the reasons behind this recommendation are published in today’s Herald Sun, however the primary message is that we must support an industry that creates jobs and spreads economic gains across both metropolitan and regional areas.

Victoria will face many challenges in the years ahead, with disruption from the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel project impacting traffic and ageing and poor infrastructure at some of the state's most well-known tourist attractions.

To overcome these trials the government must provide a substantial boost in funding to support the Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy.

In Tuesday’s Budget we will be monitoring this recommendation, along with the other eight key policies we called for in our State Budget Submission, and will update you on the announcements that will affect Victorian businesses.