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Education trade in the spotlight to drive Victoria forward
IN THE SAME WEEK as Queensland has had an 800-delegate summit formulate a 30-year plan, Victorian business leaders have gathered to outline a key ‘reform agenda' to the major political parties in the lead up to the 2014 Victorian Election and beyond.
One of the top items on the list was Victoria's outstanding trade in education, with the summit calling for the sector to be more widely recognised and supported as a key state advantage.
More than 100 business representatives from throughout the state highlighted priority focus areas at the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) Victoria Summit yesterday.
They called on Victoria's political leaders to address their key recommendations to ensure the state is truly international in its focus and activities.
VECCI chief executive Mark Stone said, "Education is not just a ‘commodity'; it has strong links to wider community well-being and our quality of life.
"For this reason, Victoria's international engagement strategy must be linked with a whole-of-state innovation strategy, not developed in isolation."
A range of recommendations came out of VECCI's reform discussions, including a focus on:
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Elevating conference and exhibition infrastructure planning prioritisation and funding to attract more business events and conferences aligned to Victoria's priority sectors.
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Protecting the curfew-free status of airports and a long-term plan for a third Melbourne airport.
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Introducing a public transport full concession entitlement for international students and developing a disposable, one-day ticketing option.
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Creating an ‘AsiaReady' voucher scheme to help prepare small and medium enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of the growing Asia marketplace.
"Helping Victorian business to expand and deepen their international focus is one of the four major themes that the major parties are being encouraged to focus on as they develop their policies in the lead up to the 2014 state election," Mr Stone said.
The other themes that developed out of the summit included making Victoria more competitive; leveraging human resources "to build an even smarter Victoria"; and making Victoria "even more liveable".
Delegates discussed recommendations to support the key themes, with Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business, Louise Asher representing the Premier of Victoria, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, James Merlino, sharing their views on reforms that can drive further economic prosperity across the state.
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