10.12.2020Lunch with the Treasurer Tim Pallas MP
On Monday 7 December, Committee for Melbourne in partnership with Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and EY, welcomed an intimate group of Foundation members to our first ‘face to face’ event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Treasurer’s Luncheon was small-scale to adhere to COVID-safe guidelines in the beautiful setting of the Clarendon Room.
As our first in person event, the annual Treasurer’s Luncheon was an important opportunity to discuss with him Melbourne’s economic outlook in the wake of the pandemic.
Tim Pallas is not only Treasurer of Victoria, he is also Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for the Coordination of Treasury and Finance: COVID-19 in the Andrews Labor Government. This enabled him to present a holistic picture of the budget and its role in helping Victoria on the Road to Recovery, and to offer some key insights on how we progress to next year’s State budget cycle as we deal with the biggest recession in a century.
From the Committee’s perspective we were particularly excited to hear about the considerable investment of $2 billion to drive investment in research, innovation and the next great breakthroughs over the next 10 years, focusing on our strengths in health and life-sciences, agri-food, advanced manufacturing, clean energy and digital technologies. This is a long overdue investment in the capacity of our knowledge economy and building the economy of the future.
MCEC Chief Executive, Peter King said:
“MCEC is delighted to have welcomed the Treasurer, and to hear his insights on Victoria’s economic recovery. These forums are critical for bringing together leaders across our state to help shape Melbourne and Victoria’s future as vibrant, desirable destinations for Australian and international visitors. Our purpose at the MCEC is to bring people together to drive economic activity and positive outcomes for Victoria. In this spirit we loved the opportunity to facilitate this collaboration between government and business to help our state’s recovery.”
We sincerely thank MCEC and EY for their generous sponsorship of this important round table luncheon.