Victoria risks losing investment from Geelong over red tape

Today, Geelong has everything it needs to become a national leader in advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, defence industries and logistics.

The question is whether Victoria is prepared to create the conditions to allow this to happen.

Because right now, the businesses that will create the next generation of jobs are facing an increasingly difficult decision: invest here or take your business and invest somewhere else.

Every week I speak to business owners who are desperate to grow.

They want to employ more people, buy new equipment and build new facilities.

Businesses can’t invest based on optimism alone, they invest where they have confidence.

That is why restoring Victoria’s competitiveness should be one of the next government’s highest priorities.

For Geelong, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

This city sits at the centre of major freight routes, is home to a highly skilled workforce and world-class research institutions and boasts incredible assets including Avalon Airport and the Port of Geelong.

It is perfectly positioned to capture the next wave of investment in clean energy, advanced manufacturing and defence industries.

But potential doesn’t create jobs. Action does. The good news is that the solutions are practical and achievable.

First, we need to make it easier to build and expand businesses.

Major projects can spend years navigating planning and regulatory processes before a shovel even hits the ground.

Faster, more co-ordinated approvals would give businesses certainty and send a clear message that Victoria is open for investment.

Second, we need to tackle energy affordability.

No manufacturer can remain competitive when one of its biggest operating costs continues to climb.

Businesses support the transition to cleaner energy, but they also need confidence that energy will remain reliable and affordable throughout that journey.

Without it, investment will simply flow to states that offer greater certainty.

Third, we need to reduce the cumulative burden of taxes and regulation.

Every new levy, compliance requirement and reporting obligation might seem small in isolation, but together they add up to significant costs that make Victoria less attractive than interstate competitors.

A clear pathway to reducing business taxes and simplifying regulation would encourage companies to expand rather than hesitate.

We also need to think differently about how government and industry work together.

The Victorian Chamber is proposing new Industry Deals that bring government, businesses, universities and training providers to the same table.

Rather than working in silos, these partnerships would co-ordinate infrastructure investment, workforce planning, energy supply and project approvals around strategic industries.

Geelong should be first in line.

Imagine a co-ordinated plan that links local manufacturers with Deakin University researchers, aligns TAFE training with employer demand, fast-tracks industrial precincts and ensures energy infrastructure is ready before investment arrives.

That is how successful economies compete.

We should also back local businesses to innovate by supporting investment in new technology, advanced manufacturing capability and workforce skills.

If 80 per cent of jobs are expected to change over the next decade, giving businesses access to skilled workers will be just as important as giving them access to capital.

These are not radical ideas.

They are practical reforms designed to make Victoria more competitive and give businesses the confidence to invest.

Because investment is highly mobile.

Companies can choose Geelong, Brisbane, Adelaide or overseas.

They will choose the location that offers certainty, affordability and a government that wants them to succeed.

This isn’t just about protecting existing jobs.

It’s about creating new ones.

It’s about ensuring young people in Geelong can build careers in advanced manufacturing, defence, engineering and clean energy without leaving the region.

It’s about attracting global investment that strengthens local communities and supports small businesses throughout the supply chain.

Geelong has already proven it can adapt and evolve.

It has the talent, the infrastructure and the ambition to lead Victoria’s next chapter of economic growth.

Now it needs policy settings that match that ambition.

This opinion editorial was originally published in the Geelong Advertiser on Monday 29 June 2026