These key pillars are: supporting Victoria’s visitor economy; building a new interstate freight terminal; and boosting clean energy industries to create jobs and build a thriving manufacturing sector.

This past two years, more than any period in our history, has highlighted the central role of industry in the life of our nation, with the private sector keeping our economy moving under shutdown orders, supplying millions of Victorians with goods and services they needed to work from home, and serving as the main broker for social contact during prolonged periods of social distancing.

The three pillars matter to Victorian businesses and to the broader community, which helped identify and validate them through extensive consultation with the Victorian Chamber.

The Victorian Chamber urges all federal political parties to take these priority areas into consideration when developing their federal election campaigns.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Paul Guerra explained: “We know through our extensive engagement, surveys and roundtables that these are the Federal policy issues that matter most to Victorian businesses and our broader community.

“If delivered, they will help secure Victoria’s economic future and Australia’s prosperity.”

Three pillars explained

Help our tourism industry survive and thrive

Our tourism industry needs targeted funding to help stay afloat and attract visitors back to Victoria as travel resumes. The aim should be to provide interim financial protection to assist organisations to survive to the end of 2022 and prepare to return to full capacity in 2023. Before the pandemic, Victoria’s visitor economy generated 210,000 jobs and $21.7 billion to the state economy. We can’t let it fall behind the rest of the world.

Build a new interstate freight terminal to secure Victoria’s supply chain

Supply chain disruptions are hampering Victoria’s economic growth. Victoria needs a new intermodal freight terminal to increase freight capacity for the post-COVID-19 economy. Secure supply chains will deliver the stability our small businesses need to invest in their businesses and create well paid jobs. This requires funding and a commitment to begin the project in 2022-23 which is also dependent on a Federal-State agreement on the location.

Build Victoria’s clean energy industries to support a thriving advanced manufacturing sector

The Chamber is calling for significant government funding and policy backing to scale up new and existing clean energy projects that build our export markets and boost domestic energy security. Victoria’s emerging hydrogen industry presents an opportunity to scale up our state’s clean energy sector, create jobs, and build a thriving manufacturing sector.

“The private sector has kept our economy moving over the past two years. Now is the time to give business owners the opportunity to get Victoria and Australia back in business,” Mr Guerra said.

“These initiatives would help turbocharge our economic recovery, future-proof Victoria across a wide range of industries and ensure the creation of thousands of jobs.”

The Victorian Chamber’s Federal Election Platform can be read in full here.

Advocacy and Support

For more information on the Victorian Chamber’s advocacy work, please visit the Policy and Advocacy section of our website.

If you have any questions or would like to be involved in our advocacy work, please contact us via policy@victorianchamber.com.au.