Government knew Boag's brewery was in trouble, RTI documents reveal
RTI documents show the government was told in 2023 that freight costs and power prices threatened the brewery's survival.
Right-to-information documents released this week show letters between the brewery's owner, Lion, and Premier Jeremy Rockliff from April 2023. Lion flagged that COVID-19 impacts, high freight costs, rising interest rates and falling beer sales put the brewery at risk.
Tasmania's very high power and gas costs made the problem worse. In September 2023, the government gave Lion $1 million for a new brewhouse.
Rockliff said at the time that Lion had made clear nothing more could be done. A February 2024 email from the brewery director again warned the government that these pressures threatened long-term viability.
Opposition deputy leader Janie Finlay said the government should have acted on the alarm Lion was raising.
- $1 million
- Government grant
- April 2023
- First warning to government
- February 2024
- Follow-up warning
- 60 full-time
- Brewery employees
Why it mattersThe documents show whether the state government did enough to save a major Tasmanian employer, or if there were steps it could have taken but didn't.
AustraliaTasmania's biggest breweries matter to local jobs and tourism; the RTI release raises questions about regional business support decisions.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 d ago
