Australia: Beer expected to become more expensive at pubs across Australia

Beer is expected to become more expensive at pubs across Australia despite the Albanese government’s two-year tax freeze, SkyNews.com.au reported on March 4.

Pub owners will be forced to up the price of a schooner after beer duopolies Lion and Asahi raised the cost of a beer due to higher material, labour and transport expenses.

The spike comes despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese freezing the beer excise for a two-year period, which started on August 1 last year.

Queensland publican Rob Comiskey, who operates Eatons Hill Hotel and Sandstone Point Hotel, said it was "very disappointing" to see brewers rise prices.

"Everyone has rising expenses with production, but it would have been a nice gesture to see it hold," Mr Comiskey told the Courier Mail.

Another publican, who asked to remain anonymous, told the masthead it was simply "un-Australian" when he thought Lion had increased prices by 5.6 per cent.

"People will think, ‘oh the greedy publican’ but we’re not going to make any money," he said.

Lion - which brews XXXX, Tooheys, Hahn, James Squire, Stone & Wood and Kosciuszko - confirmed to SkyNews.com.au that they have raised prices by just above four per cent, not 5.6 per cent.

A Lion spokesperson told SkyNews.com.au that a price of beer had increased amid a "difficult" market, coinciding with the cost of key ingredients, packaging, wages, logistics, and fuel prices rising.

"Despite a welcome pause in excise rises for tap beer, the brewing and hospitality industries have continued to experience cost inflation over the last couple of years, and market conditions remain difficult," a statement read.

"Lion is committed to striking the right balance between competitive pricing and recovering some of the costs passed onto us from our suppliers in a stubbornly high inflation environment.

"We are also continuing to invest in our operations, brands and customers."

Lion has continued to experience significant increases in a range of costs, including materials, wages and warehousing and distribution since the beginning of 2025.

"We have made the difficult decision to raise prices on some of our tap beers," a spokesperson said.

"It’s important to note that almost all of our key brands remain more attractively priced than their major competitors."

Asahi - which brews Great Northern, Carlton, Pure Blonde, Victoria Bitter, Crown, and Balter - has also increased its by 3.8 per cent.

A spokesperson told SkyNews.com.au that the price rise was the first for keg beer in a year.

"Asahi Beverages always works hard to ensure our beers are competitively priced," a statement read.

"Our recent annual rise in keg prices reflects our rising costs to brew and distribute beer, including labour, transport, and materials."

In March last year, Mr Albanese said the decision to implement an excise freeze on draught beer was a "common sense measure".

"My government is building Australia’s future and to do that we need to support our small and medium local businesses to thrive," he said in a statement.

"Freezing the excise on draught beer is a common sense measure that is good for beer drinkers, good for brewers and good for pubs."

In addition to a tax freeze, there will be anincrease to the excise remission cap to A$400,000 for all eligible alcohol manufacturers and an increase to the Wine Equalisation Tax producer rebate cap to A$400,000 from July 1, this year.

04 March, 2026