03/03/25
Australian Hotel Associations across the entire nation have been saying ‘Freeze. Please!’
The weekend brought welcome news to hoteliers, with firstly the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, promising a two-year indexation freeze on draught beer and the Coalition matching the Government’s decision should they win the next election. Regardless of who wins the upcoming Federal Election, it is fantastic to finally see bipartisan support to freeze a tax that has risen incessantly for the past four decades.
This freeze is a win for socialising, your local, and most importantly jobs, at a time when cost-of-living is impacting everyone.
To get to this point, there has been a tremendous amount of advocacy from state-based AHA teams, but in particular, AHA National CEO, Stephen Ferguson and President, David Canny.
In South Australia, we have brought member voices to the forefront of our advocacy on this issue, including radio, print, social media, and direct engagement with politicians to keep the pressure on, ensuring your views have been heard on this lazy, set and forget tax.
Stephen said, “This is a win for the millions of men and women who like to go down to their local and have a beer. It’s a win for common-sense in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis – every little bit makes a difference,” Stephen said.
We will continue our discussions with Federal Labor and Liberal in an effort to advocate further tax relief, ensuring beer poured at the bar doesn’t become a luxury item.