01.07.2021From the CEO | 1 July 2021

Melbourne’s night of nights, our Annual Dinner on 1 September to celebrate our beloved city is nine short weeks away. Demand for tables is high, a welcome indication of Melbourne’s emerging optimism coming out of our latest COVID-19 lockdown, and very fitting for the first day of spring.

Of course we are all on tenterhooks with the continuing uncertainty of living with and managing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know we will be living with this disease for some time to come and must all play our part in progressively opening up our city whilst staying safe and healthy. We can do both by observing COVID-safe protocols such as using QR codes wherever we go, and by getting vaccinated.

We again call on governments to work together to accelerate the construction of bespoke quarantine facilities and the roll out of vaccinations. We are ranked last in the OECD for vaccination rates. For a country that prides itself as a leading global economy which is innovative and adaptable, these are miserable figures. We must rectify this.

In the meantime, the Committee continues its Road to Recovery work. Through our forums and events we are working with the Victorian Government’s campaign to support businesses staying open through COVID-safe protocols, and to help progressively open up the Visitor, Performance and International Student Economies. We are also leading discussions on building the economy of the future through the acceleration of innovation precincts throughout Greater Melbourne.

In this edition of CC we also explore the importance of a more ambitious Australian climate change policy for our economic future and the critical importance of affordable housing as a foundation stone for Melbourne’s recovery.