Calls for business plan for Victoria to secure the Rugby World Cup and FIFA World Cup

The Andrews government is being urged to splash cash on a business plan for Victoria to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup and 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Hosting the FIFA World Cup Final would give Melbourne ‘a headline on a global stage’, Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra says. Picture: AFP

A comprehensive business plan to secure the Rugby World Cup in 2027 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup must be funded in this year’s budget, Victoria’s peak industry lobby has said.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will today unveil its submission to the Andrews government ahead of the 2023 state budget, which includes calls for a dedicated $200m fund aimed at attracting “world-leading events” to Victoria.

In an interview with the Herald Sun, Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said Victoria needed to maintain its reputation as the events capital of Australia.

That would involve Victoria pushing to secure the 2027 Rugby World Cup, the 2034 FIFA World Cup and next year’s United Nations climate summit.

There are calls for a dedicated fund aimed at attracting big events such as the FIFA World Cup. Picture: AFP

“We’re not blessed with the natural attractions that somewhere like Sydney has, so the major events become our focus in terms of attracting people globally,” Mr Guerra said.

“Now that we have the best events calendar of any state in Australia, there will be other states trying to get some of those but importantly we need to stay ahead of the pack.

“We need to not only keep what we’ve got but go and attract more. It gives us a headline on a global stage.”

Mr Guerra said a $200m fund would give Visit Victoria the support it needed to advocate on behalf of the state for the biggest events.

The 2027 Rugby World Cup is another major event Australia could host. Picture: Getty

“It’s fundamental. With a certainty of funding, it means that Visit Victoria can go at it and go at it significantly,” he added.

The Chamber also recommended an audit of all accommodation options across regional Victoria to adequately prepare for the Commonwealth Games.

It also called on the Andrews government to undertake a “complete root and branch” review of the state’s taxation system in a bid to spark major tax reform.

Mr Guerra said boosting the payroll tax threshold from $700,000 to $1.2m – in line with New South Wales – was needed to stop businesses setting up in Sydney.

Paul Guerra says Victoria needs to maintain its reputation as the events capital of Australia. Picture: AFP

He said the payroll tax rate in regional Victoria should also be slashed from 1.21 per cent to zero to increase regional attractiveness for investment and growth.

While it is unclear how many businesses would benefit from an increased threshold, Mr Guerra said it was critical to ensuring Victoria was able to compete with New South Wales.

“We want to make sure that Victoria is as attractive as what New South Wales is,” he said.

“If we can do that, it takes any risk of business setting up outside of Victoria away.”

Victoria should also consider “contemporising the whole of the taxation system” and review stamp duty and land tax, Mr Guerra added.

“What are they actually achieving now and is there a better way? We’ve not had a review of taxation for a significant period of time,” he said.

Originally published as Calls for business plan for Victoria to secure the Rugby World Cup and FIFA World Cup