A photo of a pint of beer has outraged Australians as the country grapples with a cost-of-living crisis.
A traveler had ordered a pint of Coopers Pale Ale while waiting at Sydney's domestic airport.
They were baffled by the sky-high cost of the drink and shared their frustration on social media platform X on Wednesday.
'New pint price record at Sydney Airport'.
The expensive pint was sold at Sydney's domestic airport and quickly sparked debate online
A photo of the pint shows the drink lying next to an EFTPOS machine showing the price of the drink at $18.
Social media users were in an uproar over the exorbitant price of the drink.
“Hi, I'd like to report a crime,” someone joked.
'You're at the airport. Time and money are not realistic here,” said another.
A third fumed: “$18 for a Coopers? Did they fly him in from Adelaide?'
“A schooner costs $10 near me and $4.50 at the bowling club during happy hour. Needless to say, I'm a regular at the club,” wrote a fourth.
It comes just weeks after Australians were similarly outraged over a pint of beer costing a whopping $17.80 from the Harbor View Hotel in Sydney's The Rocks.
One said they found the price 'hard to swallow'.
'Stopped drinking two years ago. I honestly don't understand how people can afford to drink regularly,” said one.
'I just don't drink out anymore. It's such a rip off. I just drink at home,” another agreed.
'Who can afford this? This is partly what has ruined the city's nightlife,” said a third.
Another said the huge price tag wasn't unusual, saying they recently paid $18.20 for a 'pint that wasn't even a pint' of Stone & Wood at Bungalow 8 in Sydney's Darling Harbour.
“I paid $27 at PJ's on Saturday for a Kilkenny and a pint,” another agreed.
A third added: 'I paid $40 for 2 pints (of bloody Peroni) the other day. I almost had a heart attack when the notification popped up, and honestly it killed the buzz for the rest of the evening. Absolute madness.'
Australian beer duties rose again by 2.2 percent in August.
The beer tax has increased from $57.79 to $59.06 per liter of pure alcohol, making Australia the third highest taxed country in the world after Finland and Norway.
Aussies were also outraged by a pint of beer costing as much as $17.80
On a pack of beer alone, the tax is about half the price ($25).
Even the alcohol industry, generally considered recession-proof, appears to be bearing the brunt of rising cost-of-living pressures.
According to Australian banking data from the first quarter of this year, tobacco and alcohol spending fell -8.9 percent in NSW, -13.7 percent in Victoria, -14 percent in Queensland, -16.9 percent in South Australia, – 14.1 percent in Western Australia, -9.8 percent in Tasmania, -2.7 percent in the Northern Territory and -4.5 percent in the ACT.
“To mitigate the impact of the cost of living crisis, alcoholic beverage consumers are becoming more selective in how and when they spend on alcohol,” said Richard Halstead, COO Consumer Insights, at IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.
'After the pandemic, drinking at home is still preferred, but there is a strong motivation to go out, just with less frequency and more focus on alcohol consumption and expenditure.'