Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Land tax

Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (13:30): We have all got them in our electorate, and I will be honest, Speaker, I think you have probably got more than most. I have got the Cent, the Cardi, the Piney, the Besa, the Berwick Springs Hotel and the Pink Hill Hotel. They are our local pubs. They are so important to our local community. The local pub is a place to gather. It is a place that people can come in, they can have a meal and they can support each other. There is always, in most of our pubs, some drunk in the corner who everyone just refers to as ‘the drunk’. However, they are also someone who could be reaching out and in need of an extra bit of support, and that is why they go to their local. It does not matter if you are at the Commy up in Swan Hill. You could be at the Harp or Skinny Dog in Kew, or you could be at the Club Hotel down in Yarram. These places do so much for our community. They support our community; they back our community. They support the sports in our local community, and they make sure that those that they are working with get opportunities to get money back into our community and create jobs.

What is the reward they get from the current government? They get a land tax bill that is going to make it more expensive to buy a pot at any of these bars all the way across Victoria. The taxes that are put on to these pubs, that continue to support our communities, are absolutely outrageous. It is about time the government understood the importance of these local places. One of things that is so important to mine is getting in and having a gathering. I say to my community that I will be making sure that we can keep those pubs open and that you can keep supporting your community so – (Time expired)