Alcohol excise set to force drinkers to entertain at home: experts

The price of a schooner is set to rise by more than $1 next month and experts warn it could be the tipping point for drinkers to choose to socialise at home instead of at clubs and hotels.

First came the Red Rooster line – an invisible mark across Sydney where fast food costs more in the richer east and less in the west – and now we can add the schooner line.

But, while people might expect beers in the city and east to cost more than in the west and southwest, experts have warned we are hitting a tipping point when it comes to a frothy one.

The federal government’s biannual increase in the alcohol excise on February 3 will see the price of a schooner rise by as much as $1.

Budgeting expert David Rankin warned punters will turn their backs on popular inner-city venues.

“People are going to start taking their entertainment home, they are already doing that with the cinema,” Mr Rankin said.

Enjoying a cheaper beer at Parramatta Leagues Club: Will Corbett, Laura Saab, Kayley Rapp and Diab Sukkar. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“(They are) starting to wince at these prices, even more so because this time of year is all about going out, and there is a strong element of peer pressure to go out and socialise.

“This season is going to create the perfect storm, which will send a lot of people over the edge.”

 

Parramatta’s Diab Sukkar, 22, is worried about the price of a night out in Sydney.

“Over the last year we have tried to avoid the city because it is getting way too expensive to drink,” Mr Sukkar said.

“Minimum we have to spend $150 to drink in the city, on top of cost to travel, entry fees, and even paying for partners – it gets way too expensive.

“It has definitely affected how much we go out and socialise at the pub, we are more inclined to just hang out at someone’s house and have a few from the bottle shop.”

To counter the rising prices and encourage people to still go out and socialise, Clubs NSW has offered deals on a multitude of cheaper beer options. Check out your local club for their offers.

However, that does not apply to hotels.

The Saturday Telegraph visited a multitude of venues to plot the “schooner line” across Sydney using a popular favourite Carlton Draught.

The Kings Cross Hotel served the cheapest drop on offer in the east, with $9.40 for a schooner.

The Coogee Bay Hotel charges $12 for a schooner, with the pavilion across the road adding an extra 20 cents.

Contrast that with The Red Cow Hotel at Penrith and the Melton Hotel at Auburn, which have schooners of Carlton Draught for $7.80.

The most expensive schooner we found out west was the Royal Oak Hotel at Parramatta and The Campbell at Campbelltown, which both charge $8 for Carlton Draught.

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Originally published as Alcohol excise set to force drinkers to entertain at home: experts