Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) — Recently I was invited to attend Craft Beer Meets Spring Street, hosted by the Craft Beer Industry Association in celebration of the upcoming Good Beer Week. No doubt this is not the first time Spring Street and beer have met. I was surprised, however, that I was one of only three MPs there, and we were all women.
As a member for Northern Metropolitan Region, I am very pleased to say that I learnt that I have the largest number of craft breweries in my region, so cheers to that. Usually I am more of a wine person, but I had the pleasure of sampling a number of delicious Victorian craft beers and learning about the wonderful people in this industry. Of the 90 craft brewing businesses in Victoria, most are in my region, and the rest can be found in rural areas creating jobs and drawing in thirsty tourists.
Nearly 400 Victorians are directly employed by these companies in brewing, sales, administrative and hospitality roles, and many more Victorians obviously enjoy and support these locally made goods. In celebration of the upcoming Good Beer Week, which runs from 16 to 24 May, I raise a glass to all the hardworking people involved in the festival, which has earnt a reputation for being the best beer week in the world.