Our friends at Drinks Business magazine reported this week that in the UK “Labour's John Spellar urged the Commons committee on buying and drinking Australian wine in Parliament's bars 'to make clear that bullying doesn't work' in light of tariffs on Chinese wine.”
Spellar told the House of Commons they should stock more Australian wine when the next review of wine sold in the hallowed halls comes in the spring. Currently, according to the House of Commons wine list, Bomi parliamentarians can only choose from two Australian wines.
But InSider can reveal that the review has to do more than just look at the amount of ridicule. Since most South Australians can scan a wine list in two seconds and find errors, InSider can report that there is only one Australian wine on the list – because the £21.90 glass of Chardonnay from Dry River listed as an Australian white wine is actually made by Our colonial cousins across the moat in New Zealand.
The only real offering Down Under is The Black Craft Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, which is a clear bargain in comparison at just £7.40. But unfortunately, it's one of the wines you can only get in the UK, and it's made by… Barossa winemaker Rolf Binder and British wine director Noel Young. So it probably doesn't help much on the tariffs front either.
Fortunately, Spiller urged all his thirsty fellow MPs to not just stop by Parliament, but to pick up a bottle or three of off-licence Australian wine on their way home too.
“I can therefore urge the Commons Committee to stand with our Australian friends and allies and prioritize the purchase of Australian wine and encourage its use in our venues in order to show that bullying does not work,” he said.
Listen, listen. But we encourage them all to check the label closely.
Security salvo
While looking through Reddit's Adelaide posts this week, InSider came across a disturbing image – Adelaide Salvos have begun placing security marks in ink on their clothing.
The prices of the clothes pictured range between $7 and $13, which caused commentators to be surprised by the charity's decision.
“If I'm going to steal (sic) from a store, I'll probably steal new stuff from the store,” one commenter said.
The image, while a bit funny at first, is a depressing sign of the times, with South Australia reporting a 31 per cent increase in shoplifting in the 12 months to October 2023, equating to 17,572 crimes.
An Adelaide Salvation Army store has begun security tagging of its clothing. Image: Reddit user Aimless_Devastator
A Monash University study last September found that more than a quarter of consumers believe stealing from retail stores is “somewhat” to “completely” justified.
28% of shoppers considered that taking an item without paying for it was justified, as the cost of living crisis continues.
Charity shops are not safe from theft after it was reported in April last year that an Aberfoyle Park Salvos store had been robbed by thieves.
Back to the issue at hand – Salvos security markings. The consensus among many commentators seems to be: If someone gets to the point where they need to steal from a charity shop, so be it. “It's in keeping with the mission of the place,” one user explained.
Insider doesn't skimp on this message, but while we understand that rising rates of theft have forced stores to crack down, there's something undeniably about the security of a charity shop tagging their donated clothes that feels a little odd.
Securitytagswholesale.com sells a pack of 500 similar security tags for $179 (on sale from $279), money that many Reddit users felt could be put to better use, perhaps for the Salvation Army charity itself…
One commentator enthusiastically expressed his opinion about the situation and the clothes depicted…
“If anything, it costs them more than they make selling those ugly, moldy T-shirts.”
We give crap
InSider's favorite social media director has hung up her police badge and is taking to Who Gives a Crap Toilet Paper. Sad days for AFP (she also had a memorable stint at SAPOL) but a great hire for TP.
Catelyn's influence on police stations was always interesting to read:
If you order a CNC machine from the USA, we'd love to chat! Investigators discovered 225 kilograms of methamphetamine inside with an estimated value of more than $202 million. We know someone wants this machine, so if it's yours, call 131444. pic.twitter.com/1gTO4RiBUS
– AFP (@AusFedPolice) December 6, 2023
We imagine Caitlyn will be very hot at her new gig and we hope she has something to do with this
Things you should know…
The South Australian Cricket Association has installed two new Honor Boards along the Avenue of Honor on the west side of Adelaide Oval.
The first council highlights the 98 South Australian men and women who have represented Australia in Test cricket, while the second council honors the Chief Trustees.
SACA president Will Rayner said: “Test cricket is the pinnacle of our great game, and to honor the names of so many talented men and women who have achieved this while playing for South Australia is fantastic.”
“The curators are unsung heroes of cricket and we are privileged to have some of the greatest players ever working at this amazing venue. It is fitting that we acknowledge a group of people who have had such a huge impact on Adelaide Oval that they have been recognised. “It's one of the truly great sports stadiums in the world.”
InSider points out that apparently being an Adelaide Oval curator is a good thing since there have only been 10 since 1872, and wonders if the SACA has plans to change the term curator given the space they've left on the shingle.
