Emma Comer (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The price of a cold beer has been rising, and our pubs and clubs are struggling. Labor always hops at the opportunity to support venues, workers and consumers. Local businesses poured their hearts out, and, to help them get ahead, we've introduced a freeze in the draught beer excise. Just like the bubbles in a freshly poured beer, Labor is rising to the occasion. The Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025 is not mid strength and frothy; it's full strength, perfect pour. This has been brewing for a while. Many venues are 'barley' surviving—forgive me! Much like the WA emu, we run at great speeds to support our hospitality industry. We give a XXXX about supporting small business. From the great northern Australia to Carlton to the Cascades in the bottom of Tassie, the draught beer excise will support everyone. The bill is 'lager' than life.

Constant price hikes leave a 'bitters' taste in the mouth. We're helping with the cost of living whether you buy one beer or Tooheys. If you don't support this bill, you don't have a keg to stand on. But, at the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Don't feel 'Coopered' up; get out there and support your local business. Quench your thirst with a hard-earned cold beer.

In Queensland, the weather is heating up. As the temperatures rise, there is one thing on everyone's mind: a cold beer at the local pub. A beer culture has long been essential to the Australian social life, for catching up with mates, celebrations or a stop on the way home from work. The local pub or club is not just a place for drinking; it's part of our culture. Unfortunately, the price of a cold pint has been rapidly rising in the past years. The Albanese Labor government has introduced legislation to freeze indexation of excise and customs duty on draught beer for two years, a practical step that will deliver real relief for beer drinkers, brewers and local pubs right across Australia.

This is a win for small business and supporting venues that are the hearts of so many towns. It's a win for our pubs, clubs and hospitality workers. It's a measure that will help keep prices steady and give business owners some breathing room as they continue to manage rising costs. For decades, excise and customs duties on draught beer have been indexed to the consumer price index twice a year. This legislation will lock in a freeze. This is a commonsense measure, part of our government's broader plan to ease cost-of-living pressures on Australians and to help small businesses stay full strength.

Alongside this freeze, the government is delivering further tax relief for Australian distillers, brewers and wine producers. The annual excise remission cap for eligible alcohol manufacturers will increase from $350,000 to $400,000, and the wine equalisation tax producer rebate will rise to $400,000 from 1 July 2026. We know that every bit of relief matters. Whether it's a tax cut for every taxpayer, help with energy bills or support for local businesses, our government is doing everything we can to make life a bit easier. By freezing the indexation on draught beer excise and customs duty, we're taking pressures off pubs and brewers and helping sustain 160,000 jobs in the hospitality sector. This is about backing small businesses, protecting local jobs and strengthening the communities that bring Australians together.

Let's talk about who this bill really is for: the people in places behind every pour. Pubs and clubs have been under pressure, and any extra cost hurts. Across Australia, there are around 10,000 hospitality venues that serve draught beer. Around three-quarters of them are small businesses. Behind every tap and counter stands a small army, around 160,000 workers across the hospitality sector, pouring beers, cleaning glasses, greeting guests and making sure that their customers feel at home. Many of them are students, part-timers, parents or long-term locals whose livelihoods depend on the continued viability of these venues. When we talk about freezing the excise on draught beer, we're not just talking about economics or taxation; we're talking about protecting local jobs and giving small businesses a bit of breathing room. We're talking about keeping the doors open on venues that are often the heart and soul of their community: the home of trivia nights, charity raffles and community fundraisers.

Each of those 10,000 venues is more than a business. When we help them stay viable, we're helping keep 160,000 Australians employed. That's what this bill is about: giving our hospitality industry the fair go it deserves. By easing the tax burden on draught beer, this bill helps those 10,000 venues and 160,000 workers weather the rising costs and uncertainty. It means pubs and clubs can reinvest in their staff, upgrade equipment or simply keep the prices steady for their patrons. This bill means that more money stays in local communities instead of being lost to compounding costs. It's about preserving spaces that bring people together, because, when small businesses stay open, workers stay employed and locals stay connected. It's not just good policy; it's good community.

I want to give a shout-out to some of the great local venues in Petrie that keep our community buzzing. There's the Scarborough Bowls Club, where the post-game schooners always hit the spot. Over at the Redcliffe Leagues Club, home to the mighty Dolphins, you can grab a cheap meal with your membership card; I always keep mine on hand. The Bramble Bay Bowls Club is always full of locals enjoying barefoot bowls, and Scarborough Brewery is a place to enjoy a weekend pint. It's always a treat to have a drink at the Aspley Memorial Bowls Club—who also just opened a brand new green—and, of course, the Mango Hill Tavern remains a local favourite. These are the venues where stories are shared, friendships are made and the community comes alive.

Freezing the draught beer excise isn't just about saving a few dollars; it's about backing the places that bring people together every single week. The next time you head to your local for a cold beer, you are less likely to feel the sting of another price hike. The Albanese government's decision to hold off on increasing the tax on beer poured from the tap will help keep prices steadier, protect local jobs and make it a little easier for everyone enjoying a night out. You can buy a round without copping too much damage to the hip pocket. This is about slowing the constant creep in prices that Australians have been facing on every bill, every grocery store visit and every drink purchased.

For years, the excise on draught beer has gone up every February and August, quietly adding cents to every pint. Those few cents might not sound like much, but over time they add up. For venues under pressure, that often meant passing on the cost to consumers. By pausing those increases for two years, the government is giving both venues and customers a fair go. For beer drinkers, that means more certainty when you order at the bar. Your favourite schooner, pint or jug is less likely to go up in price. It's a small but meaningful way to ease the cost-of-living pressures that hit home in everyday moments.

But it's not just about the money; it's about preserving the ritual that brings Australians together. When prices climb too high, that experience becomes less accessible. By freezing the indexation, we're helping make sure that catching up with friends over a draught beer remains part of Australian life and not a luxury. In short, this is policy that people can feel in their wallets, in their communities and in everyday moments that make life in Australia a little bit better.

The freeze on the draught beer excise and customs duty is just one part of the Albanese Labor government's broader plan to make life easier for Australians. It sits alongside a range of measures designed to ease cost-of-living pressures, boost disposable income and keep our economy strong. Across the country, people are feeling the pinch. Families are managing higher grocery bills and rents, and small businesses are balancing tighter margins. In times like this, we need practical, responsible steps that make a real difference in everyday life. That's exactly what this government is doing.

By freezing the indexation on draught beer excise for two years, Labor is preventing another automatic increase in cost for pubs, clubs and breweries. These are costs that often flow straight through to consumers. For the everyday Australian, it means one less price rise at the bar. It means the local pub can keep prices steady instead of passing on another increase. It's a small, sensible way of taking pressure off while helping local businesses stay afloat.

But this measure is part of something bigger. Labor's plan for cost-of-living relief is comprehensive and targeted, focused on areas that matter to most families, workers and small businesses. We've delivered tax cuts for every taxpayer so Australians are keeping more of what they earn. We've provided energy bill relief to help households manage rising power costs. We've made child care more affordable, we've cut the cost of medicines and we're building more affordable housing to give more Australians security and stability. When we put all this together, it adds up to real tangible support. It's about balance and doing what's right for households today while keeping our economy in good shape for tomorrow.

Freezing the draught beer excise is one of those smaller targeted actions that shows how we can make smart decisions to support both people and businesses. We want people to enjoy a meal out without worrying about prices creeping up again and to know their local pub can keep its doors open without cutting staff. That's what this freeze helps protect—the simple pleasures and social connections that mean so much to so many Australians.

This is what good Labor policy looks like—responsible economic management combined with fairness and compassion. We're backing working Australians, supporting small business and ensuring everyone gets a fair go. Whether it's keeping the lights on, keeping the fridge full or keeping a pint affordable, the message is the same: Labor is focused on easing the pressure, supporting communities and helping Australians get ahead. Let's take a moment to raise our metaphorical glasses to the pubs, the bowls clubs and the local bartenders. Cheers to an affordable cold beer on a hot day. Without further ado, I'll conclude my contribution to this debate and tap out!

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