As part of Australian Hotelier’s 2025 Annual Industry Leaders Forum, AHA National CEO Stephen Ferguson spoke to this publication last month about what it has achieved for the industry recently, as well as what it’s currently focused on.
Representing a vibrant and diverse industry made up of 6500 member pubs employing over 350,000 people, the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) was hard at work in 2024 to ensure that pubs across the country were able to operate in the best possible trading conditions.
On a national scale, the biggest win for pub operators in 2024 was the amendment to the definition of casuals in the Closing the Loopholes Act 2024, with previous wording making it difficult for publicans to continue hiring a majority casual workforce. The new wording, secured by the AHA, brought relief to venue operators and their staff alike.
AHA CEO Stephen Ferguson credited the win to diplomatic and persistent engagement with the government, at a time when other industry bodies had stopped engaging on the issue.
“We thought that the government would be successful in having legislation passed, so we made sure that we got in the door and got changes to what we needed. Our aim was to protect the hospitality industry, and we were able to secure changes to legislation that gave everyone comfort.”
Other wins last year included negotiations on gas within energy transition policies. As the main source of energy used in pub kitchens, conversions from gas to electricity would come at significant expense. The AHA worked with governments at the state level to secure an optimal solution. Ferguson stated the AHA is happy with where each state is at, with negotiations ongoing in Victoria to retain gas in commercial kitchens.
Cash in transit was another issue in which the AHA secured a win – particularly for regional operators. As cash usage dwindles – it accounts for less than 10 per cent of all transactions made in Australia – the costs of moving cash has risen. It’s an expense that regional and country operators have borne the brunt of, and the AHA has worked with cash-in-transit businesses to ensure that regional hospitality businesses will be protected.
Long-term goals
Another long-term goal of the AHA has been to curtail the effects of Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) on hampering trade in pubs. In January, the Coalition announced a policy proposal which would introduce a capped tax deduction for small businesses of $20,000 for business-related meal and entertainment expenses.
“This policy proposal by the Coalition is a win for common-sense – especially during a cost-of-living crisis,” said Ferguson.
“Why shouldn’t a boss be able to take his hard-working team down to the pub and shout them a meal and use it as a deduction? Everyone wins.”
The main priority for the AHA continues to be migration, calculating that the industry needs 5000 new permanent places and 5000 temporary skilled visa workers, plus a full complement of working holiday makers and international students each year to operate at an optimal level. The AHA has kept up dialogue with both major political parties to ensure that the industry has the workforce it needs. The AHA worked with the Albanese government to ensure that cooks and chefs remained on the Core Skills list; and when the Coalition announced a proposal to cut migration numbers in their budget reply last year, the AHA were in the Shadow Minister of Migration’s office the next morning to voice its concern.
Another long-term focus is on decreasing beer and spirits excise, with the AHA advocating for a 40 per cent cut in on-premise excise. While it’s been an issue that the AHA has raised over many years, Ferguson is optimistic that some movement on the issue may soon be on the cards.
“We’ve been advocating for change on this point for 30 years, but we continue to raise it. But I think we’re starting to make progress, as the issue is now being better understood by consumers.”
With patience, persistence and open dialogue remaining key tenets of its advocacy, the AHA continues to ensure that it seeks the best solutions for its members in every facet of operations.
This article was originally published in the 2025 Leaders Forum issue, which you can view below.