After its successful Victoria SummitTM in November 2005, Victoria’s largest business group, the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry today announced that it would be holding its next Victoria SummitTM in November 2007.
The Summit will take place at Parliament House Victoria on Thursday 15 November 2007.
“The focus of this Summit will be significantly different to the last one”, says VECCI Chief Executive Officer Neil Coulson.
“The last Summit focused on a range of traditional business issues that were impacting Victoria at the time, with Government adopting many of the Summit recommendations.
“While many of the issues covered in the 2005 Summit are still ongoing and relevant, community concerns about environmental questions, particularly water and climate change, have sharpened.
“The 2007 Summit will take the next step and address key issues associated not only with changes in the economy and society associated with globalisation and competition from low-cost economies, but global warming and the need to manage carbon outputs, increasing population and scarce water resources.
“This will involve examining the impacts of such changes on existing industries such as agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, and establishing ways of improving their yield, as well as the possibilities for new technology-based industries.
“VECCI will play a facilitative role to try and drive practical solutions to issues of business and community concern by bringing together people with disparate backgrounds.
“The four key topic streams are:
- Greening the Industrial Ecology – how to improve profits while reducing the ecological footprint;
- Localising Skills and Education – assisting local communities in improving skills, opportunities and education without waiting for broad-brush top-down solutions;
- Life and Opportunity in a Carbon Managed Economy – how will a lower carbon future affect the structure of Victorian industry; and
- Community Participation in Land and Waterways Sustainability – who has a stake in Victoria’s natural assets and can wider community participation improve their condition?
“In a sense, the Summit streams represent a new productivity agenda with a community focus.
“Key overall unifying themes include:
- Releasing resource and human productivity;
- Spreading and democratizing knowledge via new technologies and increased community participation; and
- Sharing community assets and the associated risks and benefits of change
“It is important to remember that business is not separate from the community but is a part of it and that the community also relies on the success of business.
“One classic example of this is with regard to water saving. Industry uses ten percent of Victoria’s water but provides 80 percent of jobs for Victorians, as well as producing the lion's share of Victoria’s exported and domestically consumed goods and services.
“Those who use water at work are usually individual householders and knowledge can be transferred from home to work and work to home.
“As such, it makes sense to pull together as a community as part of a balanced response and not create pariahs because solutions that impact on both industry will impact on the wider community and vice versa.
“The first Summit engagement forum will take place today here at VECCI. The topic is `Climate Change – Where to From Here’ and the speakers will be:
- Professor Ian Plimer, Adelaide University
- Ms Monica Richter, Australian Conservation Foundation
- Dr Alan Moran, Institute of Public Affairs
- Dr Graeme Pearman, Monash University
“The Forum will involve 30-40 invited high-level guests from industry, government, academia and media and topics to be covered include:
- The latest thinking on the causes of rising CO2 emissions.
- Consideration of whether we are ready to make the transition to a low carbon economy.
- Views on the best policy instruments to combat climate change.
- The opportunities and costs of adjusting to a low carbon environment.
- Whose role it is to lead the reform task – Government or industry?
“For Victoria to meet the challenges of the 21st century we have to work together – the Summit provides a great opportunity for business to work with the broader community to examine the challenges we face as well as options and potential solutions”, says Mr Coulson. |
