Victoria Summit 2015 – Regional Victoria: VECCI business engagement to strengthen regional competitiveness

“REGIONAL Victoria has performed strongly over the past decade. Local leadership and resources have been skilfully blended to create a modern, dynamic and internationally-oriented regional business community,” said VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone.

“Now is the time to build on Victoria’s many regional strengths, overcome emerging pressures and create new employment, trade and investment opportunities.”

With this in mind, VECCI has launched its Victoria Summit 2015 – Regional Victoria. The Summit will bring business leaders across the state together to identify the reform priorities that will support the future growth and prosperity of regional Victoria.

Mr Stone said VECCI’s engagement with regional stakeholders, including local government executives, through a series of seven workshops starting today, will capture first-hand insights on the policy reforms needed to ensure continuing business success across Victoria.

He said although the barriers and opportunities for growth vary across each of Victoria’s diverse regions, common themes VECCI’s regional members have already foreshadowed include the need for reforms that:

• Create jobs, particularly for young adults and displaced workers.
• Strengthen regional infrastructure.
• Enhance regional workforce skills.
• Lower regional business costs and reduce red tape.
• Get more regional businesses into exporting.
• Attract more investment into our regions, including for our high-quality tourism and events industries. 

The Victoria Summit workshops will be held throughout Victoria over the next two months, giving all local businesses and governments the chance to contribute to the Summit’s agenda.
 
Workshops include: Traralgon (28 May); Ballarat (11 June); Bendigo (16 June); Mildura (26 June); Warrnambool (8 July); Geelong (9 July) and Wodonga (15 July).

The workshop program will culminate in the Victoria Summit, to be held in Bendigo (13-14 August 2015), giving regional leaders the opportunity to inform the State Government and Opposition on the policy changes needed to keep their regions growing.

The Victoria Summit recommendations will form the basis of VECCI’s regional business agenda into 2016 and beyond, including for VECCI’s 2016-17 state budget submission and the next federal election.

For further information or to register for your local Victoria Summit workshop, please call (03) 8662 5333 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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