The Brew Shops of Australia have been told by no less than the A.T.O. that we should not be giving any information to people that they may use to break the law.

Distilling without a licence is a criminal offence in Australia. The internet provides a vast amount of information from all around the world and some is not relevant in Australia.

The biggest problem is people using a mishmash of design, construction and distillation procedure. I doubt the internet can be controlled.

In our brew shops we often hear of people who have made or bought a still and they don't have a clue about operating procedure. There is an alternative to this problem.

The stills being imported from New Zealand are mass produced to a proven design. These stills are sold in brew shops all over Australia. The instructions for these N.Z. stills should be included in the sale. This would allow a safe alternative to the internet.

Brew shops could provide a suitable structure to give information in distillation procedure so the customer is confident in his or her knowledge.

As a responsible brew shop proprietor, I am constantly endeavouring to increase our staffs knowledge. An incorrect answer or failure to answer questions could endanger people's health.

I realise this is a complicated issue but we all need to look for a positive result.

The internet has bought distillation into our homes and it will continue to do so. We could all put our heads in the sand and I believe, like any major social problem, the answer lies in education.

Cheers .. Younga.