Australia has really turned in to a indidualistic smoothering, leftist, archaic Orwellian State. I don’t want to ramble on for too long but I have to get these off my chest. There are a number of beer related issues that the government has intervened in, generally for the wrong reason (IMHO).
For a start are the taxing laws, which make it difficult for budding Australian craft beer brewers to make a good product. If it’s not taxing (raping?) beer via the alcohol content (which makes it difficult for brewers to experiment and bring us new and exciting styles) it’s making it difficult for the craft brewers with ridiculous licensing and production laws. The federal government will no doubt say it is trying to protect us…but what from? Good beer? Damn, better go have a xxxx or vb then. Better yet maybe a xxx Bright Lager or VB raw!
This link illustrates some of the problems. http://www.fairgocraftbeer.com.au/
To top this off now in Queensland the government are considering replacing glass glasses (ironic huh?) with plastic glasses in bars, to quell the (supposed) growing number of glassings (ie using your glass as a weapon of blunt force on someone’s face or body) that have been a problem of late in drinking establishments in this state. Firstly, I am sure this is not a new problem that has experienced a surge in ‘ popularity’, but rather something concocted and jumped on by the media and in turn government. Having said that, when I talked to my good friend in Adelaide he had never heard of the term ‘ glassing’. So is it really a problem? I personally have never experienced or witnessed the use of the glass as a weapon, but the government, in all it’s poorly placed conservatism is acting as if most civilians can’t go out for a drink without deciding to use our drinking vessel as a weapon to inflict harm apon another like wise inclined individual.
Lastly (and certainly not least), are the bloody import tax laws, that make imports of most ‘luxury’ (ahh inverted commas - gotta love ‘em) items, of which beer is included, so damn expensive. Don’t get me started on my feelings to the fact that for example I could drink a Samichlaus beer in japan for 600 yen ($7 Australian?) while i have to pay about $12 here in Australia, If I can get it at all. And before you say “oh Australia is too far away, or the population is not big enough to support this type of product” I point to New Zealand, where I have seen examples of cheap import products abound, not to mention a wider variety of consumer choice. Australia also has the 4th highest per capita beer consumption in the World, so there is obviously a market (albiet brainwashed by macro brewers producing macro pale lager swill). Anyway, I am not here to talk macro economics, but surely there has got to be some give and take. This is the lucky country after all!
This government is killing good beer! Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world and i am tired of seeing it. Anyway I’m tired and going to bed before I have a coronary….
