Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Maribyrnong is known for many things—iconic sporting venues, historic shopping strips and long-established suburbs that have helped shape Melbourne's identity for well over a century. With such strong foundations, it's no surprise that our electorate is also home to many of Melbourne's most popular pubs and hospitality venues. In suburbs across Maribyrnong the local pub isn't just somewhere to grab a drink; it's the beating heart of the neighbourhood. It's where people come together, celebrate wins big and small, decompress after long days, share laughter and look after one another.

That's why these bills, the Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025 and the Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, which put a simple, sensible two-year pause on draught beer excise indexation, are so welcome. This keeps the tax on the keg steady and stops the price of a pint from creeping up when people are already struggling with cost of living everywhere else. And, importantly, it backs in the pubs, clubs, brewers and hospitality workers that are such a big part of life in my electorate. This is a measure people can genuinely feel in their weekly routines, in the budgets of local families and in the life of their sports clubs and community groups, who rely on their local venues as meeting places and social hubs.

Let me paint a picture. If you're in Essendon on a Friday arvo you'll see locals piling into the Linc or the Royal after work. In Ascot Vale you've got punters catching up at the Union or the recently re-opened Laurel. In Kensington the Melbourne Cup crowd may be long gone for the year but the Doutta Galla Hotel is still buzzing and full of character. Up in Gladstone Park the family run Gladstone Park Hotel remains the go-to spot for birthdays, knock-offs, community raffles—you name it. These aren't just iconic local pubs; they're community gathering places that double as dining rooms, meeting spaces, live music venues, sports hubs and unofficial community centres—with much better food!

Behind the bar, keeping everything moving, are hospitality workers—bartenders pulling beers, flat out during the footy; the waiter navigating a packed dining room on a Saturday night; and the kitchen crew sweating it out to keep parmas flying out the door. They're the heartbeat of the industry. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the hardworking hospo members of the United Workers Union, who fight for fair hours, secure jobs and decent conditions, strengthening the very venues that keep our communities connected.

For years now, pubs and venues have been hit by challenge after challenge. First, the pandemic smashed their revenue and threw their future into complete uncertainty. Then supply chain issues pushed the cost of things up—power bills, produce prices, keg transport and insurance costs. Our government recognises that and recognises the pressure our publicans are under. Every automatic excise increase pushed the price of draught beer higher and higher until the cost curve started to resemble a skate park.

Publicans across Ascot Vale and Moonee Ponds have told me directly that they can't keep raising prices, because people are already struggling, but they can't absorb the rising costs either. That's the reality of Maribyrnong and right across the country. These are small operators, family run businesses and local employers trying to stay afloat while doing the right thing by their staff and their communities. They're not making noise for attention; they are genuinely under pressure. When local venues are under pressure, so are local jobs, so are apprenticeships, so are young workers earning their first pay cheques and so are the suppliers and the brewers who rely on the venues to survive. This measure helps steady the ship. And, when you steady the ship for a pub, you steady life for hundreds of people around it.

Now, let's talk about the brewers because they're doing it tough too—especially the small independent producers who rely heavily on keg sales. Across Maribyrnong, it is widely understood that small brewers are carrying immense cost pressures. Raw materials are up, freight is up, and packaging is up. These aren't multinational companies with global buffers and giant reserves; they're local businesses that are employing local people and bringing creativity, craftmanship and distinct Victorian character into Australia's beer scene. This pause gives them breathing room. It's the space they need to plan production, retain staff and continue contributing to local jobs. Let's be honest. Victorians love independent beer. We take pride in our small brewers. They bring flavour, innovation and a sense of community identity you simply don't get from the large multinationals. Keeping them viable keeps choice alive and keeps a tap list interesting, which every publican and every regular appreciates.

The best thing about this measure is how targeted it is. It applies only to draught beer, which is in the kegs that pubs and clubs serve from. It doesn't apply to bottles, cans, spirits or RTDs—just the stuff on tap. That's deliberate. This isn't about cheap alcohol or encouraging people to overindulge and it's not about rewriting the entire alcohol tax framework. It's about one thing: supporting a sector that strengthens communities, employs locals and keeps our suburbs vibrant. And because it's time limited, a two-year pause, it provides relief without undermining long-term tax policy or public health measures. Let me talk about why this really matters in a community like mine.

In Maribyrnong, a pub isn't just a pub. It's where footy fans go to celebrate and commiserate in equal measure. It's where local tradies gather after they knock off early on a warm Friday. It's where young people get their first job and where families head for a parma when they can't be bothered cooking. It's where local sporting clubs host their presentations. It's where community groups hold fundraisers. It's where trivia nights raise money for kids sports kits and school camps. It's also where our new migrants get a genuine taste of Australian community life. It's where our older residents stay connected. It's where loneliness lifts, even for a moment. It's where laughter rolls through the room and where conversations jump across generations like they've always belonged together. When a pub goes under, that little ecosystem goes with it. That whole pocket of community joy disappears. We can't take these places for granted.

Hospitality workers know better than anyone what happens when a venue is under pressure. They're the first to lose hours, the first to have shifts cut and the first to feel the insecurity that comes with unpredictable rosters. They were hit hardest through the pandemic, and many are still putting their pieces back together. Wages in hospitality have been historically low, conditions have often been inconsistent, and burnout is real. Giving venues stability helps give workers stability. And when workers feel secure the whole community benefits. Let's remember that pubs and brewers don't operate in isolation. Behind every keg is a farmer growing barley and hops; there's a truck driver hauling the keg from the brewery to the pub; there's a technician making sure the taps are flowing; there's a linen service washing uniforms and tablecloths; there's a muso playing an acoustic set in the corner on a Sunday afternoon; and there's the local sports club using the pub as its unofficial clubhouse. The whole chain of jobs and small businesses is strengthened when pubs are strong.

Some folk might say: 'It's just beer. Why does it matter?' Most people in my community would answer that without even thinking. The local pub is where friendships begin. It's where footy arguments run longer than the AFL season. It's where someone will always ask how your week has been and will genuinely care about the answer. For older residents, shift workers and people doing it tough, it can be the most important social place that they have. It can be the place they feel welcome and the place they feel part of something. When prices rise too quickly, people stay home. When people stay home, venues struggle. When venues struggle, hours get cut. When hours get cut, families feel the pinch. It's all connected. This bill helps break that chain of strain.

This fits into something bigger. While we're keeping the cost of a pint steady, we're also delivering one of the strongest cost-of-living packages Australia has seen in years. Wages are up. Superannuation is strengthening. Parents have more support, with expanded paid parental leave. Power bill relief is easing household pressure. Student debts are shrinking instead of ballooning. Prac students in nursing, teaching, midwifery and social work are finally receiving payments. Bulk-billing has been expanded. More urgent care clinics are opening. Aged-care workers are receiving long-overdue pay rises. All of this is happening while we're keeping inflation low.

This is Labor delivering on its promise to build a better future while supporting working Australians and providing meaningful cost-of-living relief. It's why this measure sits so comfortably within the government's broader economic approach. It's simple. It's smart. It's aimed exactly where the pressure is. Stabilise the cost of a keg, and you stabilise the cost of running a venue. Stabilise the cost of running a venue, and you protect jobs. Protect jobs, and communities breathe easier.

Publicans, workers and locals across Maribyrnong tell me the same thing. They're proud of their community and its local institutions. They don't want a special carve-out. They want predictability, they want stability and they want a government that listens. This bill delivers precisely that, so here it is. The bill keeps the lights on at the places where Maribyrnong comes to life. It keeps the parmas coming, the footy banter flowing, the Friday arvo rush humming and our venues full of laughter long into the night. It keeps workers on shift, brewers brewing and locals able to enjoy a pint without needing to phone their bank manager first.

In my community the pub is a humble place, but it is where the magic happens. It's where friendships spark, ideas are swapped, sports teams are celebrated and someone inevitably shouts, 'I'll get the next round'—even when they absolutely shouldn't. It's where new migrants meet their neighbours, where older residents find familiar faces and where working people get the break they deserve. This bill backs that spirit—the working-class heart that defines Maribyrnong, the spirit that lives in an ice-cold beer shared in good company. It gives every punter, whether they're at 'The Doot' on race day or 'The Linc' during footy season, a fair go. It's practical, it's sensible and it is exactly what our community needs. I'm absolutely thrilled to support it. I commend the bill to the House.

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