Planning extensions have been secured to ensure the future of Lion’s XXXX brewery in Milton, just a year after facing strike action from workers over its reported closure.
The brewery, which recently benefited from a $2 million investment in solar technology, has secured a 15-year extension to its licence.
Minister for Planning, Cameron Dick, who was at the XXXX brewery this morning for the announcement, said it would secure 150 Queensland jobs.
He said he was “delighted to be able to support the decision”.
“The brewery is part of the fabric of the city and so we’ve provided that certainty to the company,” Minister Dick said.
The announcement comes just over a year after the brewery was hit with strikes by United Voice, the union representing brewery technicians.
Lion was previously forced to reject claims that the brewery was set to close and to guarantee jobs for the workers before industrial action was discontinued.
Lion supply chain director Ian Roberts alluded to the incident at the announcement this morning saying that Lion were a “family” and “every now and then [families] have a disagreement.”
He also discussed the limitations of the landlocked site, saying there was room to grow if needed but the site is currently running at 75 per cent capacity.
Roberts said in a prepared statement that they were gearing up to be located in Milton for the next 140 years.
“Since 2009, we have spent millions of dollars on improvements to the brewery to limit our environmental impact.
“20 years ago, Milton looked very different to how it does today. Previously it had been an industrial epicentre, but its proximity to the Brisbane CBD made it the perfect location for high-density residential developments.”