Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, Customs Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025

Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (18:08): Well, mates, anyone in North Queensland will tell you our one day of winter normally falls on a Wednesday! For the rest of the year, it's prime beer drinking weather. There's nothing quite like the sound of just cracking a coldie open after a long hot day.

Whether you're pulling up crab pots out in the creeks of the Burdekin, knocking off after a shift in Paget or wrapping up a week of training in Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, that first sip of frosty beer is one of life's simple pleasures. It's not just about the drink; it's about the moment, the mateship, the laughter, the stories told over the bar, the sense that, no matter what's going on in the world, you're among good people.

And that's what this debate is really about. It's about protecting our way of life, protecting the local pubs, the clubs and the breweries that keep our communities connected. We are talking about the Excise Tariff Amendment (Draught Beer) Bill 2025, and, look, any relief for our pubs, sporting clubs and brewers is a good thing.

The Nationals support this freeze on draught beer excise because we'll never stand between a cold pint and the Aussie public. But let's be honest—this move from Labor is but a drop in the schooner. When you crunch the numbers, this so-called beer tax cut works out to be less than 1c per pint.

That's not cost-of-living relief; that's a headline dressed up as a happy hour. The real pressure on Aussie families doesn't come from the bar tap. It comes from the bills on the kitchen table.

Inflation has smashed through the RBA's target band. Mortgages are up, groceries are up, electricity is up, and it's all being driven by this government spending that is going faster than the economy can grow. Government spending is running at more than four times the rate of the economy, and Australians are paying the price.

Since Labor took office, mortgage holders are, on average, paying $1,800 more per month. Families are paying 16 per cent more for food, 22 per cent more in rent, 39 per cent more for insurance and 38 per cent more for electricity. So, yes, 1c off your beer is a tiny step in the right direction, but it's cold comfort when your grocery bill is going up by 50 bucks and your mortgage is eating your pay packet.

In my electorate of Dawson, we don't just drink beer; we celebrate it. In Mackay, we've got two great breweries that come to mind. Red Dog Brewery was named one of the best breweries in Queensland, as a finalist in the Queensland Day best-pub awards last year.

Congratulations to Jason and his team. And Goanna Brewing is a place where you can actually brew your own beer—pick your own ingredients, roll up your sleeves and make a beer that's as unique as you are. I'll give a shout-out to the team in Victoria Street.

It's a fantastic microbrewery with great live entertainment on the weekend. That's the Australian spirit: hands on, proud and community driven. Mr Katter: Could I just interrupt for a moment and point out these great beers from North Queensland that have my picture on them?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Freelander ): Member for Kennedy, props are not allowed. I'm sure it's a very fine beer, but props are not allowed. Mr Katter: Sorry!

Mr WILLCOX: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I'd like to thank the member for Kennedy for his assistance with this speech! These places aren't just businesses.

They're where our people come together—locals after work, tourists chasing a real taste of local life and mates catching up for a yarn. In the Whitsundays, hospitality is the lifeblood of our economy. People travel from all around the world to sip our fine Australian beer on a beach in paradise.

And up in Townsville, our garrison city, there's no-one more deserving of a cold one than our fine men and women from our Australian Defence Force. They train, they serve, they protect our country, and they've earned a frothy at the end of the day. That's why protecting the affordability of beer isn't just symbolic; it's cultural.

It's the Aussie way. Behind every bar in North Queensland—from the Burdekin to Airlie Beach, Mackay to Townsville—there's a hardworking local doing their bit to keep the economy turning. Across Australia, around 176,000 people work in the alcohol and hospitality industries.

They are students, parents, part-timers and full-timers, pouring beers, cleaning glasses and greeting guests. They're the heartbeat of our pubs and clubs. When we're talking about freezing the beer excise, we're not just talking about tax policy; we're talking about real people, real jobs and real communities.

When a pub shuts down in a small town, it's not just a business that's lost. It's a meeting place, a fundraising venue and a social hub. It's where raffles raise money for the footy club and where stories are told.

Pubs define who we are. But here's the rub: if Labor were serious about fixing the problem, they'd call for a comprehensive review of the alcohol excise system. The Nationals also believe this excise relief should be extended to include spirits on tap.

It's hard to believe, I know, but not every Australian drinks beer. We get patchwork fixes from this government that sound good on the news but barely make a dint in reality. This freeze is worth $90 million over the forward estimates—less than two per cent of what the government collects in alcohol taxes each year.

Meanwhile, Labor's reckless spending has added $100 billion to our national debt in just three years. Debt is heading for $1.2 trillion by the next election. Every minute, Australians are paying $50,000 interest in debt.

That money could be going into regional roads, hospitals and schools. I don't want to sound like I'm frothing at the mouth here, but Labor's economic policy has gone flat. What we need isn't a quick pour from a tap; it's a full tap reset.

We need leadership that's focused on growing the economic pie, not slicing it thinner, because a rising tide lifts all boats, and, in North Queensland, a lot of the ones that are moored are moored outside the pub. The Nationals' plan is simple: stop the spending spree and start growing the economic pie. That's how we will deliver lasting cost-of-living relief.

We believe in backing the people who are making things, growing things and employing Australians, not punishing them with higher taxes and endless red tape. When local businesses thrive, local communities grow. Whether it's a sugar mill, a farm or a small brewery, they all deserve a fair go.

When I visit pubs and sporting clubs across Dawson, I see the hardworking people doing it tough, but they still show up with a smile. I see publicans who kept their doors open through COVID, cyclones, staff shortages and rising costs. I see bartenders who know every regular by name.

I see families gathering for birthdays and mates catching up after a long week. That's who this bill should be helping, not in a token way but in a tangible, meaningful way, because, in places like Mackay and the Whitsundays, hospitality isn't just an industry. It's part of who we are.

I'll give this government some credit—at least they finally recognised that beer matters. But, when your idea of cost of living is shaving one cent off a pint while inflation eats your pay cheque, that's like offering a stubby cooler for a warm beer. Australians don't need a photo op at a pub by a politician.

They need a plan—a plan to tackle inflation, a plan to grow the economy and a plan to back the industries that make this country tick. So, tonight, when we raise our glasses, whether it's Red Dog, Goanna or Great Northern, let's remember what we're really toasting. Let's toast our hospitality workers, the quiet heroes on the weekends.

Let's raise a glass to our local brewers, who pour pride into every pint. Let's toast the soldiers, the farmers, the tradies, the nurses and the teachers—the Australians who have earned that knock-off beer the hard way. And let's toast to a better government, one that understands that cost-of-living relief can't be brewed overnight.

In North Queensland, we don't just drink beer, we defend it. We know that, when the heat's up, mateship matters. When times are tough, communities rally, and, when there's work to be done, Australians roll up their sleeves and get it done, no excuses.

So let's keep our pubs open, our breweries busy and our communities strong. Here's to common sense, and here's to a cold one that we can actually afford. Cheers!