Federal and state ministers have released a draft plan which proposes radical alcohol price hikes in order to curb public over-consumption of alcohol.
The plan proposes a cost floor, meaning that the base price for all alcohol will be set at $1.50 per standard drink. This is designed to cut the cheaper drinking options, such as the university rite-of-passage – the mighty goon sack.
With this new base cost in play, a Coolabah Soft Fruity Wine Cask — which contains 35 standard drinks and retails at a shockingly-reasonable $12.99 — would cost at least $52.50.
That’s just the most extreme example of the proposed legislation, which will also call for more strict advertising restrictions during sport, the end of 2-for-1 deals and bulk-buy discounts, one flat rate of taxation regardless of type of alcohol (which will further hit wine drinkers), linked ID scanners, more undercover checks on bottle shops, and sobriety conditions on certain repeat offender punters in venues.
It all seems fairly extreme — and clearly aimed at the lower earning brackets and younger generations — but at least it’s being presented under the guise of health-care.
Still, $52.50! You’re just forcing kids to drink spirits instead.
