Cameron Mackenzie here - I have just started as the Interim General Manager of the Australian Distillers Association. Some of you might know me as a co-founder of Four Pillars and the current President of Spirits Victoria.

Three weeks ago, I was sitting on a beanbag in my pyjamas at lunchtime, eating Twisties and watching Seinfeld. Fast forward to last Thursday, I was wearing my best pink shirt/blue jacket combo and meeting with the Assistant Treasurer at the Parliamentary Offices in Melbourne. Not exactly the gap year I had in mind but I’m absolutely loving the ride so far.

To be honest, the timing couldn’t be better. The Saints are dreadful (yes, I’m a long-suffering Victorian), trout season is closed, and my wife was on the verge of kicking me out of the house if I didn’t find something to do. So here I am, and it’s great to be on board.

It’s fair to say the last fortnight has been a whirlwind. We have so many great things going on and it’s brilliant to see so many familiar and new faces on all the Teams calls I’ve joined.

Last week I had the pleasure of joining our fearless leaders Holly and David as we sat down with Assistant Treasurer, Dr Daniel Mulino MP. It was a terrific opportunity to talk about the potential of our industry and to acknowledge the importance of the Alcohol Manufacturers Remission Scheme (AMR). More on this in the AMR Member Update below.

We also took the opportunity to stress the importance of creating Spirits Australia and the Spirits Exporter Accelerator Strategy. Dave also managed to sound like an expert on blockchain – impressive!

Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on keeping the Association’s momentum going, whilst helping to recruit a permanent GM, offering some thoughts on the structure of the organisation, and helping to streamline a few internal processes along the way. I will be working closely with the Board, and doing my best to be useful where I can.

A big thank you to Michael and the Board for helping me settle in. I’ve got a lot to learn, but I hope I can add some value during my time in the chair, building on the incredible work that’s already been done over the past few years.

Looking forward to working with many of you and if you’ve got questions, ideas, or just want to talk about why the Saints can’t kick straight, I’m all ears.

Stay well,

Cam

Alcohol Manufacturers Remission Scheme Member Update:

The Australian Distillers were invited to meet with Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino on Thursday 19th June. Acting General Manager Cameron Mackenzie, President Holly Klintworth and Vice President David Vitale represented Australian Distillers, and also present was an ATO representative. This meeting was initiated by government following the ground work laid by former CEO Paul McLeay to ensure our industry has a seat at the table, and to discuss the ADA’s key asks: establish a Spirits Australia, support the Spirits Export Accelerator Program, place a freeze on excise and review the current tax regime inclusive of whether the Alcohol Manufacturers Remission Scheme (AMR) is meeting its policy objectives in its current form – because we know that with the right policy settings, the Australian distilling industry’s true potential can be unleashed.

When the AMR was introduced in July 2021 to give distillers the same support as the wine industry, many Australian spirits producers agreed it was a game changer for many in our industry, received at a time when it was needed most. Different businesses have harnessed the AMR in different ways. Because the AMR is fixed, the production frontier reduces twice per year, every year. The Labor government’s announcement during the election campaign to increase the AMR from $350K to $400K from 2026 was a welcome relief for our industry which at present is battling multiple challenging economic factors that are weighing heavily on members. While the $50K increase is a welcome step, it effectively returns the AMR closer to its original value in real terms and does little to address the structural limitations of the scheme. As currently designed, the policy does not provide a clear pathway for distilleries to scale sustainably beyond the remission threshold. Without further refinement, it risks falling short of supporting the long-term viability of the industry - regardless of whether your aspirations are local, national, or international.

The ADA’s position is that nearly four years on, it is prudent to conduct a review of the AMR by establishing a working party between government and industry, to ensure efficiency and alignment with the original intent of the policy. It is a positive first step, that government have engaged with industry on this issue, and Australian Distillers continue to actively pursue our policy objectives with government, and will keep members informed of any developments.

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