Sunshine Coast local businesses meet with MGA

NATIONAL SUNSHINE COAST

MGA Board President, Debbie Smith addresses local artisan beer, wine and spirit suppliers, Jackie Ingram Executive Director for Strategic Business Policy QLD Small Business and the MGA board. embers.

On 15 June 2022, MGA Board members met with local Queensland artisan beer, wine, and spirits suppliers to discuss how their products could be stocked and sold by local Queensland food and grocery stores. MGA’s Queensland members cannot stock or sell packaged liquor of any form and wish to propose to the Queensland Government that local food and grocery businesses stock and sell only locally produced beverages - including wine, beer, cider and spirits – based on the Tasmanian model. In attendance were: Michael Conrad from Sunshine and Sons Distillery, Kirra and Steve from Beechtree Distillery, Tony Thompson from Flame Hill Vineyard, Jackie Ingram Executive Director for Strategic Policy with Qld Small Business, and MGA’s Board of Directors. This has been a 15-year journey for MGA and the MGAQ Committee with no successful outcomes delivered to date.

By way of background:

• Some 5 years ago under the then

Queensland Small Business Minister

Leeanne Enoch (together with the Queensland Small Business

Consultative Committee), a unique report was researched and written to bring local producers of food and beverages together to form an economic local eco system to enable long term sustainable growth and prosperity for Queensland’s small businesses. • This was initiated to help Queensland small businesses develop a point of difference in the face of extreme competition (market power) from the duopoly Coles and Woolworths and also Aldi. Coles and Woolworths both sell packaged liquor – 80% market share of packaged liquor in

Queensland. • The Entrepreneurial Pipeline Project was created. A project that would bring local Queensland producers, manufactures and suppliers of local foods and beverages together in an eco-system that creates a unique point of difference. • Stocking and selling local food and wine, beer spirits beverages to local consumers and tourists. • The market share of the family and private food and grocery sector has diminished in the face of this adversity to a market share of 7% in

Queensland. • Distribution channels to market for locally produced wines, beers, spirits,

SUNSHINE COAST

and ciders are also very limited as a consequence of not being able find suitable distribution points of sale. We have been continuously blocked with this idea. An idea that we believe can benefit the entire state of Queensland. » We have support of the Queensland Wine Industry Association, Queensland Distillers Association and Queensland Boutique Brewers Association for the Entrepreneurial Pipeline to succeed. » We understand this is a complex matter and have been working on this matter with the Queensland Government for almost a decade. Together we have come up with various solutions which we both believe would benefit the growth and prosperity of many small businesses in Queensland. » MGA believes we are being blocked by an industry association with enormous market power who are advocating for no more packaged liquor licenses. This is clearly anticompetitive. » The Queensland Government has also put up some barriers based upon what we believe another industry organisation may have fostered with the Premier and former Attorney General and Health Minister e.g. • Proliferation of Packaged Liquor licenses will cause alcohol fueled violence • Proliferation of Packaged Liquor licenses will cause harm to health. This has no substance or truth at all based upon the type of products that are being proposed to be stocked and sold at premium prices. The meeting was very productive with many matters, issues and opportunities raised and discussed. The meeting culminated in a number of suggestions being made to progress this initiative, both at local and Government levels. MGA will be endeavouring to work very closely with the Queensland Small Business Director General and his team to progress this initiative further together with all Sunshine Coast small businesses.

L-R: Jos de Bruin, Mark Paladino, Graeme Gough, Jackie Ingram - Executive Director fro Strategic Policy QLD Small Business, Ripple Parekh (rear), Debbie Smith (centre), Rowena Cann - Food & Agri Network FAN (front), Lincoln Wymer (rear), Terry Slaughter, Michael Conrad - Sunshine & Sons Distillery and Tony Thompson from Flame Hill Vineyard.

This photo and opposite: MGA Board members meet with local Sunshine Coast distillers, wine makers, and brewers.