Australia: Beer price in South Australia will rise to match bottle refund

The price of some beers in South Australia will rise by 10 cents a bottle to match the doubling of the container deposit, ABC.net related on June 25th.

SA Brewery, which sells brands including West End and Tooheys, will add the cost onto its wholesale price from August.

In South Australia, cans and bottles can be exchanged for a five cent refund, but the State Government announced early this year that it will increase the refund to 10 cents.

SA Brewing's regional director, Mark Haysman, says the company has had to subsidise government policy.

"It's cost us the five cents plus an admin fee that ranges three or four cents," he said.

"So it's eight or nine cents per container previously and we've absorbed that over the years and probably subsidised it through our pricing outside of South Australia, but we're not able to continue to do that."

25 June, 2008