The enterprising Prince Alfred Hotel in Port Melbourne is the focus of a debate at the highest levels over its offer of a free drink to patrons that get the COVID vaccine.
Last week PubTIC reported on the initiative by Anna and Tom Streater, offering customers a free beer, wine or mixed drink upon showing they had just got the jab at the temporary vaccination centre across the road from the pub.
The week-long promotion reportedly attracted a few dozen newly vaccinated people for the free drink. It ended over the weekend, but the couple intended to bring it back when the temporary clinic returned later this month.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s website states that businesses are not allowed to offer the likes of alcohol, tobacco or medicines as incentives to get people to take the coronavirus vaccine. The watchdog subsequently contacted the pub and ordered it to stop the promotion.
But asked if the demand was reasonable during an interview on Channel 7’s Sunrise program, the Prime Minister conceded the mandate by the TGA may have been “a bit heavy-handed” and says Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, will ask the Administration to back off.
“The PA down there in Melbourne – good on you for getting behind the national effort,” said Scott Morrison.
“We’ll get it sorted … common sense will prevail. Cheers to the PA.”
Measures to provide incentive to people to get vaccinated have become commonplace around the world, although possibly no more than in the US, where some states, such as New York and Ohio, are offering lotteries of up to $5 million to entice people to get the jab.
And the association of these programs with alcohol is unquestioned, seeing the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch, offer free beer if America managed to get 70 per cent of adults to get at least one vaccine shot by independence day, 4 July.
Very recently the Australian Federal Government had a meeting about ways to incentivise vaccine take-up, and the TGA is now believed to be reviewing its rules.
The pub-test logic applied by the PM has not pleased everyone, with Sam Biondo, CEO of the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association criticising Morrison for overturning the TGA’s demand.
But Health Minister for Victoria, Martin Foley, whose electorate includes Port Melbourne, says he is absolutely in favour of pubs providing the motivation for a shot in the arm.
“What we need is everyone vaccinated and if PA’s suggestion of a beer is going to help as part of that, then good on PA.”
