Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Western Australians don't seem to be able to catch a break. Whether it's the GST, grocery prices or beer, we always seem to be paying more and getting less. While I would have loved to have got into the recent activities of Oktoberfest or celebrated local brewers by downing a glass of my favourite bevvy, it's becoming harder and harder for West Aussies to find a well-priced pint at a local pub. Until recently, the schooner was a relatively foreign thing to us sandgropers. However, a growing number of Perth watering holes are phasing out the 568 millilitre pint glass in favour of the smaller and clearly inferior schooner—apparently a standard size for Sydneysiders and Melbournians. What's worse is that, in many cases, patrons are ordering pints at pint prices and are downgraded 143 millilitres without notice. It's like ordering a Coke and getting a Pepsi!

There is a clear consumer protection issue here. I'm happy to stand up for the WA beer drinking public. Don't serve me a schooner when I order a pint without telling me first. Thanks to the tyranny of distance, West Aussies have become accustomed to paying more for things. In part, I'm okay with that. I'd rather pay more for my beer than suffer the scourge of pokies in Western Australia. However, more expensive beer also means more beer generated GST revenue being lost from Western Australia. Clearly, Perth publicans couldn't bear to increase beer prices any more and decided instead to reduce the size of their vessel.

WA has a proud history of being different. We love quokkas, we are obsessed with shark attacks and, although it's not taught in school, we all understand that Bali is essentially a northern suburb of Perth. We all know that drinks come in two sizes: the pint and the middy, not a small and a large. What is 'large'? Even the National Measurement Institute, an Australian government body, advises that venues should disclose the actual size of their beer. The 'schoonification' of the West has me concerned about what other east coast beverage trends are likely to start popping up in Perth. Will we soon find ourselves sipping on deconstructed lattes at morning tea time or be forced to order 'horses' or 'butchers'? And what the hell is a schmiddy? The east coast may not look to WA for guidance on many things, but we understand good beer—and good beer comes in a pint.