So it stands to reason that, when beer prices were increased dramatically due to taxation, Australians were up in arms! A petition was drawn up in 2000 and it became the second largest petition in Australian history with 792,985 signatures. The petition with the greatest number of signatures was one presented on 26 February 2014 concerning funding support for community pharmacies, with 1,210,471 signatures.
A petition is basically a request for action. The right to petition Australian Federal Parliament has been one of the rights of citizens of Australia since federation, and it is the only way an individual can directly place grievances before the Parliament.
In 2009 Australian beer was a massive 32% more expensive than beer in the UK and 32.18% more expensive than in the USA! These percentages were calculated on similar brands and at the exchange rates of that time. No wonder the sporty, beer loving nation was so upset!
