Australia’s once-thriving craft beer industry is at serious risk as small brewers are confronted with cost of living pressures and the high levels of government excise tax imposed on the popular beverage.
Co-founder of Sydney’s Philter Brewing, Stef Constantoulas, who distributes throughout Australia stated that the challenges the industry faces are hard to overlook.
“I don’t think there’s any lie that it’s a pretty tough trading environment for independent craft breweries at the moment,” Mr Constantoulas said.
Co-founder of Sydney’s Philter Brewing, Stef Constantoulas (right), who distributes throughout Australia stated that the challenges the industry faces are hard to overlook.
The brewery Co-founder emphasized the increasing difficulty of staying competitive amid government pressures. He highlighted the significant hurdle of excise tax, a major concern shared by the industry, as they contend with rising costs.
The excise tax, set to increase every six months, poses a continuous threat to the industry, prompting criticism for contradicting the Federal Government’s earlier tax relief efforts for small breweries and distillers in the 2021-22 federal budget.
“The number of friends of ours, unfortunately, hitting the administration button or losing their businesses is pretty shocking to see,” Mr Constantoulas said.
Two Japanese companies, Kirin (owner of Lion) and Asahi (owner of Carlton United Breweries, also known as CUB) are actively acquiring independent breweries.
Mr Constantoulas revealed that he has already been approached by huge corporations. In response, Philter Brewing started an equity crowd-funding effort in October 2023, raising more than $2 million from more than 1,200 investors.
Philtre Brewing has a public bar and restaurant in Marrickville, Sydney. Photo: Philter Brewing.
“That was a great way for us to give back to the community, to the people who supported us,” Mr Constantoulas explained.
“We could have gone down the roots of a larger corporation – they would have invested in us – but essentially, they’re going to take too much of the business”.
Philter Brewing intends to utilise the funding to expand its brewing capacity to 2.5 million liters in order to remain competitive.
And as genuinely independent Australian craft beer is becoming harder to come by, Mr Constantoulas said anyone looking to buy should research before purchasing or looking for an independent seal.
Born to an Armenian father and a Greek mother, Dr Marina Mkhitaryan-Lazaridou’s family roots go as deep as her ancestral histories.
She shares her identity and the make-up of these lands through her photographic endeavours.
“In spirit I am Romany, in heart I am Greek, in prayers Armenian, in mind I am a citizen of the world,” she told The Greek Herald.
Looking at her projects alone, you would have thought she grew up studying art. Instead, she completed her studies in Mathematical Physics, before receiving her PhD in 1993.
Serres. Photo: Marina Lazaridou.
Perhaps more pervasive than her penchant for numbers was her passion for learning. In 1994 Marina found herself in Belgium, working on archaeological research at the University of Ghent, in Belgium.
Years later in 2007 she launched into a new passion; documentary style photography.
“I decided to use photography and creative writing in order to express my ideas to the fullest. It’s how I transfer my idea into reality, an idea is like a dream. And I am a dreamer,” she said.
“I’ll have an idea and sometimes I think, ‘is this even possible to execute?’ Then I remember the words of my mother, ‘Impossible is not in the Hellenic DNA.’ So when I capture these ideas on camera, I come home and I try to shape the universe of my emotions. And when I look at these photographs, they are a reflection of my ideas.”
While Marina was living in Armenia, she put together her first photography exhibition.
Serres. Photo: Marina Lazaridou.
“I wanted to do something in loving memory of my Greek mother. Greeks have lived in Armenia since the 18th century, the Pontian Greeks. I travelled throughout Armenia, photographing the Greek settlements and graves and churches,” Marina said.
“I launched my first exhibition which is in permanent display at the Greek embassy in Yerevan. And the photograph of my mother and yiayia is part of this exhibition.”
More photo exhibitions would follow this one, but Marina would take a hiatus for a few years before launching into one of her more recent projects.
From 2017 she worked to protect cultural heritage in zones of conflict and war in the Netherlands and Cyprus, and soon transitioned into beginning her own journey launching programs related to peacebuilding and the “endangered Christians of the Middle East.”
Kerkini Lake. Photo: Marina Lazaridou.
Soon Marina returned to Armenia and registered her own non-governmental organisation (NGO), Action for Peace (Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid and Peacebuilding), and started her first project as part of it; Nostos: War, Identity and Peace: Dedicated to the Women of Artsakh.
“I interviewed 42 women and four men, in order to know the role of women in the conflict-ridden zones,” she said.
“I like the Greek word ‘nostos’ because it means homecoming, returning. Odysseus returned home by sea, our identity is in our home. Our refuge is everything.”
Marina, in her peacebuilding quest, dedicated another of her photography projects to the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian genocides.
“Through photography, I try to complete the mosaics of a story. For me, this project focused on the question ‘can memory trigger a genocide prevention?’. I was taking photos of survivors, interviewing their descendants, and they were sharing the archival family photos and their family’s exile stories. I understood that yes, we can prevent genocide because memory is a huge tool,” she explained.
“I visited the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus five or six times. It’s always very painful for me. I feel this international trauma. After completing this project dedicated to Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides, I couldn’t touch a camera for many years, because these narratives blocked my soul.”
Road of Infinity. Photo: Marina Lazaridou.
Marina however persevered, bolstering herself into what she likes to call the “Hellenic inspiration period of [her] life.”
Earlier this year, she nurtured three photo artistic projects dedicated to Hellas; Greek Lullaby of My Childhood, Hellenic Bluezzz of My Soul, and Hellas: Created by God shot by Marina.
Each episode is its own reflection of various elements of Greece and the Greek experience.
“I chose the Hellenic experience because it’s very important to me. It is to my mother that I owe who I am. So, I’m very grateful to my Greek mother. This is something very holy to me,” she said.
“This trilogy may not seem to be connected in an obvious way, but they relate to Hellas, to the Greek identity and Greek origin. To be Greek is an inspiration.”
Theotokos and Blossoming pomegranate tree. Photo: Marina Lazaridou.
In Greek Lullaby of My Childhood, Marina combines photography and creative writing. This part of the series is dedicated to the Smyrna centennial, taking the audience into the life of a fictional young girl named ‘Charoula’. Charoula’s mother was born in Smyrna and witnessed the tragedies of 1922.
Charoula’s story is a mosaic inspired by the real experiences of the dark days from those times. Marina creates metaphors through her photography of the old doors and abandoned old houses in Serres, much like the ones she believes Charoula and her mother would have lived in.
“When I stand in front of the old, abandoned houses, I feel that their doors speak to me. They keep the memory of those who lived there, their peaceful evenings and daily life,” Marina said.
Hellenic Bluezzz of My Soul follows the theme of Marina’s creative spirit, dedicating this piece to prominent Greek musical figures Maria Callas, Nana Mouskouri, Nikos Kazantzakis, and Konstantinos Kavafis.
It melds together her love of these legendary Greek musicians who sung their own version of the blues, and the beautiful blue vastness of Greece itself, with its cosiness of the various provinces and villagers’ philoxenia.
In the final of the three-part series, Hellas: Created by God shot by Marina, the photographer incorporates the Greek ideology of Orthodoxy and thinks about the eternal and philosophical values of modern civilisation.
With her work on the trilogy complete, Marina has also completed her next project with the help of the Municipality of Serres; Enigma of an icon: A window to heaven.
“This project is very important to me because I believe that Hellas without Orthodoxy is not Hellas, and Hellenic inspiration without Orthodoxy is not complete,” she said.
“For now, my goal is to open a series of exhibitions dedicated to Hellas: Created by God shown by Marina.”
You can view Dr Marina Mkhitaryan-Lazaridou’s three-part series and find out more about her work here.
To celebrate the Australia Day long weekend, four Greek heritage football clubs will come together for the first Hellenic Cup 2024 tournament.
Teams including Olympic FC, Sydney Olympic FC, Darwin Olympic SC and Heidelberg United FC will face off in the first Hellenic Cup match for the pre-season.
Taking place at Goodwin Park in Brisbane, spectators will have the chance to witness football talent from across Australia and experience a taste of Greek culture.
The cup will kick off on Friday, January 26 – Gates open at 3pm, with the main games scheduled from 5pm.
The Ellinikes Fones choir will also make an appearance, to sing the Greek and Australian National Anthems.
On Saturday, January 27 – Gates open at 12pm, with the main games scheduled at 4pm and 6pm. After Saturday night’s games, from 8pm and onwards, an after party will be held.
On Sunday, January 28 – Gates open from 11am, with the main games scheduled at 1pm and 3pm.
Members of the Greek community of Australia were honoured during a celebratory dinner for the name day of Archbishop Makarios of Australia on Friday January 19 at Le Montage Reception Centre in Sydney.
The event commenced with the Choir of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society presenting the national anthems of Greece and Australia, followed by their rendition of traditional Greek songs.
Choir of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society presented the national anthems of Greece and Australia.
This was followed by an address from the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, who underlined the crucial contribution of Hellenism to the progress Australia.
During the Dinner, traditional Greek dances were performed by the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, a short audio-visual tribute was shown on the history of the Orthodox Church in Australia and important celebrations were announced that would take place across Australia for the centenary year of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. Emphasis was placed on the upcoming visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in October.
L to R: The Hon. Courtney Houssos, Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC and Mark Speakman, Leader of the Opposition NSW.
The evening concluded with the awarding of the Order of Christ-Loving to persons distinguished for their selfless contribution to the Church and to wider society. This distinction is deemed to be the highest honour bestowed by the Archdiocese of Australia.
Honoured were Ms. Eleni Neophytou, from Redfern, Mr. Bill Kritikos and Mr. Eleftherios Diasinos from Kogarah, Mr. Philippos Makras from Rookwood, Mr. Peter Deriasni from Newcastle, Mr. Elias Economou and Mr. John Georgopoulos from Kingsford, Mr. Emmanuel Carpis from Mascot, Mr. Stavros Stavrea from Queanbeyan, Mr. Chris Constanti from Belmore, Mr. Constantinos Bahoumbis, Mr. Constantinos Contos and Ms. Fotini Londou from Parramatta, Ms Evangelia Menelaou from Mangrove, Mr Barry Cotter, Mr Stavros Salvartzis, Mr Kyprianos Vatiliotis and Mr Konstantinos Ziogos from Leichhardt, Ms Betty Lee from Newcastle and Mr. Sarantos Zaloumes from Bankstown.
Traditional Greek dances were performed by the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney.
The proceeds raised on the evening will be allocated to the needs of the renovation of the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Redfern.
Dignitaries in attendance included NSW Finance Minister, The Hon. Courtney Houssos, MLC, representing The Hon. Chris Minns, Premier of NSW; Leader of the Opposition in the NSW, Mark Speakman; NSW Shadow Minister for Finance and Sport, Eleni Petinos; Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Georges Papacostas; High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Antonios Sammoutis; Ambassador of Georgia, Beka Dvali; Ambassador of Romania, Radu Gabriel Safta; Ambassador of Ukraine, Vasyl Myroshnychenko; Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yannis Mallikourtis; Deputy High Commissioner of Cyprus, Stavros Nikolaou; Consul General of Serbia in Sydney, Jasmina Pekmezovic and Consul General of Turkey in Sydney, Ali Sevim.
On Saturday 20 January, the Food For Thought Network in Melbourne came together for a picnic and cutting of the vasilopita.
Those who attended were given insight to the organization and were informed about the Inaugural Global Women and Hellenism event in Ioannina, Greece, which will take place from September 2- 6 later this year.
The founder and Chair of the Network Varvara Athanasiou-IoannouPhoto: Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou.The vasilopita. Photo: Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou.
The event was full of delicious food, great company and positive vibes where attendees were able to connect with one another and gain valuable insight and information about the Network’s future plans and projects.
In a post on Facebook, the Founder and Chair of the Network Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou shared she was thankful for all who attended and contributed to the picnic.
There was plenty of food and smiley faces at the event last weekend. Photo: Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou.
“Thanks to my wonderful voluntary FFTN Board for organising this. Special acknowledgement to Maria Makris and Maria Maikousis for co-ordinating this,” Ms Athanasiou-Ioannou said.
“Our appreciation to all that attended and brought food but above all their positive spirit and willingness to engage with all.”
Ms Athanasiou-Ioannou said she was also lucky enough to receive the coin in the vasilopita, which was donated by a member and friend of the Food For Thought Network.
“Hopefully it will be a stellar year for Food For Thought Network given our ambitious project the Inaugural Global Conference in Ioannina Greece,” she added.
A new exhibition in Limassol, Cyprus is on display to explore the myths about the creation of the Aboriginal world.
The exhibition, “From a Continent to an Island“, in Exhibit8 gallery has been organised by the artistic association CATHRINE and curated by Nadine Betrhelier and Eudes Ajot from Paris.
Supported by the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Culture of Cyprus, it has also been put on display as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Cyprus.
High Commissioner of Australia in Cyprus, Fiona McKergow conducted the Exhibit8 gallery’s opening ceremony.
Fiona Mckergow. Photo: Exhibit8, FB.
It showcases an exceptional and significant collection of paintings using bark, which have been created by Indigenous Australians from Arnhem Land in Northern Australia.
The exhibition allows visitors of the gallery to connect with the art of the Aboriginal people and their scattered mythological universe, which they display on eucalyptus.
The exhibition will be on display until February 3. Photo: Exhibit8, Facebook.
The curator of the exhibition, Nadine Betrhelier explained that the exhibition offers people who see it, a rare opportunity to familiarise themselves with the universe of the Indigenous people of Arnhem Land and that it serves as a form of “initiation” to some extent.
“From a Continent to an Island” will be on display until February 3.
Steve Georganas MP attended a meeting with the Board of Directors of the World Hellenic Inter-parliamentary Association (PADEE – WHIA) on Saturday January 20 in Crete during his visit to Greece.
The Board of Directors, led by President Leonidas Raptakis (USA), Rhode Island State Senator, visited the Regional Governor of Crete Stavros Arnaoutakis.
Members of the Board of Directors participated in a working meeting in which the Mayor of Heraklion, Alexis Kalokairinos, the President of the Heraklion Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEH) Manolis Alifierakis, elected representatives of the Region of Crete, the Municipality of Heraklion and officials also took part.
Mr Georganas, who is also 2nd Vice-President of PADEE – WHIA, pointed out that “Crete is a very important part of Greece that has history, culture has many people from the island who have immigrated to Australia and the other countries we represent. We want to create a bond with Heraklion and Crete and it is a great honor that we are here today in a place that has highlighted important personalities”.
Members of the Board of Directors of PADEE – WHIA participated in a working meeting. Photo: Region of Crete.
In attendance were also:
Effie Triantafilopoulos, 1st Vice-President (Canada), Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Ontario
Annie Koutrakis, Treasurer (Canada), Member of the Parliament of Canada & Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency
Stephan Pappas, Board member (USA), Wyoming State Senator
Themis Klarides, Board member (USA), Connecticut State Representative
Vangelis Doules, Board member (Albania), Member of Parliament MP Tirana District
Hryhoriy Nemyria (Ukraine), First Deputy Chairman, Parliament of Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Committee
Vice-Governor of Crete for European and International Affairs, George Alexakis, expressed his joy at the reception of the parliamentary representatives of Greek origin, noting that “the Region of Crete informed the delegation about the island in order to have collaborations in the field of tourism, culture and higher education”.
A parliamentary meeting held on Monday, January 21 has led to an amendment to the proposed postal voting bill.
The amendment will now allow for Greek people living abroad to vote in both national elections in Greece, and European elections.
The postal voting will be an exclusive method to vote in national elections for Greeks living in other countries.
Η υπερψήφιση του νομοσχεδίου και της τροπολογίας, με την ευρύτερη δυνατή συναίνεση, θα αποτελέσει σημαντικό μήνυμα πολιτικού εκσυγχρονισμού, δείγμα πολιτικής ωριμότητας και διάθεσης να πράξουμε το δημοκρατικά αυτονόητο, πέρα και πάνω από κομματικές αντιθέσεις και διαφορές, πέρα…
It was specified that postal voting will only be available to those living outside Greece and they must be registered the special mail-in lists and provide a foreign address.
During the parliamentary debate, the provision to the bill requires a majority of at least 200 votes.
Interior Minister Niki Kerameus attended the parliamentary meeting and introduced the amendment to the postal voting bill.
“The Parliament has the historical and moral responsibility to approve, with the utmost consensus, a legislative proposal that removes any real or practical impediment to the exercise of the voting rights of Greek citizens, regardless of their place of residence or location,” Ms Kerameus said during the amendment’s announcement.
The parliamentary vote for the postal voting bill will take place later this week.
Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni organised the repatriation of three ancient Greek artefacts from Emory University’s Michael Carlos Museum in Atlanta, US, on Monday, January 21.
The artefacts, which according to a statement from the Ministry, originated from Crete, Epirus, and Attica, and were the result of illegal excavations.
Emory University’s Michael Carlos Museum was in possession of three Ancient Greek artefacts. Photo: Culture Ministry.
It was reported that they were trafficked by antiquities smugglers, and unlawfully exported from Greece, before finding their way to the Carlos Museum.
Some of the ancient artefacts include a Minoan clay larnax adorned with fish decorations dating back to the 14th century BC, a 2nd-century BC marble statue portraying a young woman leaning on a tree trunk, and a seated marble male figure from an Attic tomb relief dating to the late 4th century BC.
Theodoros Roussopoulos, a Member of Parliament from New Democracy, has been elected as the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Roussopoulos is now the 35th individual to hold the position of PACE president since 1949 and notably the first Greek national to assume this role. Presidents serve a one-year term, with the option for renewal once.
Theodoros Roussopoulos. Photo: Anna.gr.
PACE functions as the parliamentary branch of the Council of Europe, an international organization comprising 46 nations dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
The Assembly is composed of 306 members chosen from the national parliaments of the Council of Europe’s member states, convening four times annually for week-long plenary sessions in Strasbourg.
