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Pink the colour of choice Saturday’s wet weather failed to dampen spirits or dull the vibrancy of the pink at Cardinia Cricket Club on Saturday which hosted its annual Pink Stumps day at E Gunton Oval. Attendees were entertained by musician Tim Lukey and guest speaker, Paralympic athlete Al Viney at the event, organised by Maddie and Kim Diwell. The event raised vital contributions for the McGrath Foundation which funds McGrath Cancer Care Nurses in communities across Australia.
Organisers of the Pink Stumps Day at Cardinia Cricket Club, Maddie and Kim Diwell (Stewart Chambers: 459357)
Save Aussie brews By Afraa Kori Beer is becoming increasingly unaffordable, whether at the pub, your local brewery or over a BBQ in your backyard. The federal government’s tax hike is pushing local breweries to their limit, with many saying ‘enough is enough’. They are rallying behind the Independent Brewers Association’s (IBA) 2025 campaign to
keep locally owned beer accessible and affordable for everyday Australians. Smiley Brewery Co, owner and director, Trent Butcher said the alcohol excise system needs an overhaul, urging the government to take action to create a fairer tax system for breweries. “Stop pushing it to the side and just allowing it to continue as it has done for too many years. You are taxing a hard working, local industry out of existence!”
“We would like to see some concessions or benefits applied to Australian owned producers.” Smiley Brewing Co is a relatively new brewery, having been open for about 18 months. Due to its current production volume, the brewery is fortunate not to be directly impacted by the bi-annual excise tax increases at this time. However, this is something that will affect the brewery in the future if the tax structure remains unchanged. In July 2021 a remission scheme was intro-
duced for Breweries and Distilleries providing a $350,000.00 (per financial year) benefit for alcohol producers. The remission is applied to pure alcohol volume, it is reported on monthly (standard excise reporting). Trent said they’re currently “below that cap,” allowing them to avoid the increases. Continued page 2
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