Victorian Chamber touts its election wishlist

THE Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) is talking up its list of the things Victoria needs ahead of this year’s state election, including a number of projects that will directly affect the Geelong region.

The chamber released its Regional Agenda at last year’s Victoria Summit, which was attended by Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy.

In 2017, VCCI held workshops in Geelong and across the state to hear the key issues affecting Victorian businesses.

From those consultations, 26 priority recommendations out of 125 policy changes have been highlighted. These include:

• Investigating the construction of a new fast rail service between Geelong and Melbourne and Ballarat and Melbourne
• Investigating establishing an Enterprise Zone at Avalon Airport, unlocking a key development site, consolidating infrastructure, attracting business and creating jobs
• Supporting the implementation of the Shipwreck Coast Masterplan, and
• Encouraging state and local government investment in existing food clusters and new ones, such as the Geelong Seafood Cluster.

VCCI chief executive officer Mark Stone said the Regional Agenda recommendations were aimed at increasing competitiveness in Victoria’s regional areas.

“Regional Victoria has great potential for further economic growth and our recommendations will enable this growth to occur.

“Sustainable regional growth will not happen by chance, however, and the next state government must make regional economic, investment and employment growth a priority.”

However, VCCI is also prioritising some recommendations that will be less popular with some, including:

• Lifting the moratorium on onshore conventional gas exploration and assess individual gas supply projects on a case by case basis
• Building the full East West link, and
• Repealing the Grand Final eve public holiday and not proceeding with plans to make Christmas Day a public holiday when it falls on a weekend.

Mr Stone said the feedback to VCCI from businesses had made it clear what they needed from their political leaders.

“The message from Victorian businesses all around the state is that they cannot be ignored. Their concerns are common for tens of thousands of small to medium sized businesses.”