Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In communities right across Australia, from our biggest cities to the smallest towns, the local pub or club is much more than a business. It is a gathering place—a place where people come together after a long shift, a long week or a long day; a place of celebration when the local footy or netball team has a win; or a place of commiseration or comfort when the week hasn't been easy. It's where friendships form, where stories are shared, where loneliness is forgotten and where the heart of community life beats strongest.

That's why the Albanese Labor government is stepping up to support our venues, their workers and the Australian brewers who supply them. The Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025 gives effect to our decision to pause indexation on draught beer excise and excise-equivalent customs duty for two years, beginning on 1 August this year. This is a practical measure. It is a targeted measure and a responsible measure. It keeps the price of a pint stable for everyday Australians, it provides certainty for publicans and their staff, and it strengthens the industries and communities built around our local venues.

In my electorate of Corangamite, from the Surf Coast to the Bellarine and across the Geelong region, pubs and clubs are part of who we are. They host fundraisers when a family is doing it tough. They sponsor local sporting clubs. They offer that first casual job to a young person, building confidence and independence. They are where local musicians get their first gigs, where community groups meet and where generations of locals have gathered around the same tables for decades, sharing in laughter and debate and often providing a supportive ear. These venues also keep workers in shifts, keep our regional economies moving and keep our communities together.

In my electorate of Corangamite, there are many distinctive townships—coastal, rural, thriving communities—each with their own distinctive watering holes, like the Torquay Hotel, the Barwon Heads Hotel, the Dina, the Grovedale Hotel, the Portarlington hotel, the Drysdale Hotel, Sporties in Leopold, the Esplanade Hotel in Queenscliff and so many more. We have brewers, like Bells Beach Brewing, Barwon Heads Brewing, Blackman's Brewing and Little Creatures, and our changes in this bill back them in.

Our pause to the excise applies specifically to draught beer served from kegs between eight and 48 litres—the containers used every day in pubs, clubs and bars—and to larger kegs over 48 litres used in bigger hospitality venues. It does not apply to bottled or canned beer, spirits or other excisable beverages, because this is a policy targeted squarely at supporting hospitality venues. Around 10,000 venues across Australia will benefit directly from this decision, and roughly 75 per cent of those venues are small, family run businesses. These are venues that employ local people, donate raffle prizes to the bowls club, lend their function rooms when the SES need space after a storm or put on a community night when the town has had a tough season.

For operators of small venues across the nation, we know the pandemic hit hospitality hard—so have supply chain disruptions and so has inflation. Publicans, managers, brewers and hospitality workers have carried a heavy load through a turbulent period. Our two-year excise freeze is not a silver bullet, but it is real relief. It stabilises one of their major cost pressures. It keeps the tax component of a pint steady for two years. It reduces pressure on venues to raise prices for their customers, many of whom are feeling cost-of-living pressures themselves, and it gives publicans predictable operating conditions at a time when they need certainty.

This support does not stop at the pub door. When a local venue can stay open and stay strong, the whole supply chain benefits: the brewers who rely on keg sales to stay viable benefit, the farmers growing barley and hops benefit, transport operators moving goods up and down the coast benefit, and equipment suppliers, refrigeration companies, event organisers and musicians all benefit too. Across the hospitality and brewing sectors, around 160,000 Australians rely on these venues staying open and profitable. This pause helps keep their jobs more secure.

Small and independent brewers, including so many proudly Australian, community minded, innovative producers, rely heavily on keg sales to keep their businesses afloat. For them, indexation is not an abstract policy issue; it directly affects whether they can make payroll, plan production runs, invest in new equipment and keep their team employed. Pausing indexation for two years will help brewers manage costs, stabilise cashflow and continue to invest in their local communities and local economies. It will also ensure these small and independent brewers can continue to compete fairly against large multinational producers. Fair competition matters. It protects diversity and innovation in the Australian beer market. It ensures consumers have real choice, and it keeps our hospitality sector vibrant, diverse and reflective of local tastes and local talent.

This measure is also the product of extensive consultation. The Albanese Labor government has listened carefully to publicans, brewers and small-business groups right across the country. We've heard from venue owners and brewers trying to balance growth and unpredictable input costs. We've heard from operators of small hospitality businesses who simply wanted some breathing space, not a hand-out but a fair go and a fair chance to plan ahead. This measure reflects that feedback. It is targeted where it needs to be. It is temporary by design, and it is one part of a broader support package for small business across Australia.

Alongside this excise pause, the Albanese Labor government is delivering a comprehensive suite of support for small business, the backbone of our economy and the heart of so many communities. We have extended the instant asset write-off so small operators can invest in the equipment they need without facing cashflow barriers. We're supporting small businesses to adapt and adopt digital tools, streamline administration and modernise their operations, saving time and reducing costs. We're helping businesses lower their energy bills through targeted support and clean energy investments.

I'd like to make the point that this broader package recognises that small businesses do not operate in isolation. They need coordinated support across tax, energy, skills, digital infrastructure and cost-of-living pressures. Within this wider framework of support sits our draught beer excise pause. This measure is practical, and it is also fiscally responsible. Indexation will resume after two years, ensuring the integrity of the broader alcohol excise framework is maintained. So it's a temporary adjustment designed to help small venues through a challenging period without compromising the long-term sustainability of the budget. That's what responsible economic management looks like.

The importance of this measure is especially visible in regional communities like mine. In many regional towns, the local pub is where loneliness is eased, where a newcomer to town meets their first neighbour, where families gather after Saturday sport and where stories are passed down across generations. It's where people hold charity nights when the community needs to rally around someone. It is where people go after a funeral to share memories and support each other. It is where local bands start out and where travellers stop in and keep regional tourism strong. These venues are cultural institutions. They are part of our national identity. Keeping their doors open matters. This government understands community life because it is connected to it. We understand the pressures that publicans, club managers and hospitality staff are facing. We know what these venues mean to local people, and we are acting decisively to support them.

This support is also aligned with our broader cost-of-living agenda. From 1 July, we have delivered practical measures that help make everyday life easier. We have increased the national minimum wage and award wages by 3.5 per cent. We've lifted the super guarantee to 12 per cent. We have expanded Paid Parental Leave to 24 weeks. and it will be 26 the year after next. We have ensured superannuation is paid on all government paid parental leave. We have delivered energy bill relief, with another $150 to come off before the end of the year. We have made home batteries cheaper for households. We have cut student loan debt by 20 per cent for around three million Australians. We have delivered paid practical placements for nursing, midwifery, teaching and social work students. We delivered another instalment of the aged-care wage rise in October, following the first increase earlier this year. And, through 2025, more responsible measures will continue to roll out, including tax cuts for every taxpayer, 50 more Medicare urgent care clinics, including one in my electorate in Torquay, and expanded bulk-billing.

Inflation is rising overseas, including in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. It remains stubbornly high in many parts of Europe. Australia, by contrast, has seen inflation fall because of disciplined economic management. We have avoided the recession and the job losses seen in many comparable economies. We have kept employment strong through uncertain global conditions. This is what steady, responsible government looks like—delivering relief for businesses, workers and consumers.

This is a modest measure with a great impact. It is temporary, targeted and responsible. It is shaped by industry consultation. It supports fair competition. It protects diversity and choice in our beer and hospitality industries. It strengthens the community institutions that matter to people's lives. At its core, this is not about taxation formulas or economic modelling. It is about people. It is about the workers pulling beers on a Friday night. It is about the apprentices learning how to run a venue. It is about the families who pour their savings, their time and their heart into running a small pub. It is about the brewers, crafting something uniquely Australian. It is about the tourists who stop in and keep small towns strong. It is about the locals who find connection, friendship and belonging at their local. It is about keeping the heart of community life beating.

This is the Albanese government backing in small business, backing in workers, backing in regional communities. This is a good, steady, responsible government in action—delivering for small venues and the Australians who rely on them every day. Thank you.

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