Page 202 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
jurisdictions around the country are required to deliver courtesy transport for their patrons. I do not believe that the ACT should be any different in that regard. That will be an important element of our reform agenda.
Another important element of our reform agenda is to encourage the establishment of small boutique venues. Smaller venues cause less harm. Smaller venues are easier to manage. For that reason, the licensing structure will be set up in such a way that fees for smaller boutique venues will provide an incentive for those venues to be established. That can create greater diversity and activity in a centre in terms of licensed venues and it also means the risk is easier to manage.
The government has also outlined that its reforms to the Liquor Act will involve changes to the criteria upon which licences can be granted. It would be fair to say that we have probably had the most generous liquor licensing regime in the country with little consideration being given by approving authorities to the location of a venue or the fact that there may be other licensed venues in close proximity to the proposed licensed venue. Little regard has been had to the impacts on the surrounding community. There has been little opportunity—indeed virtually no opportunity—for a community suddenly faced with a licensed venue in its midst to comment and for those comments to be taken into account.
The government has decided that all of that will change. The commissioner will have the capacity to refuse a licence if they believe there are detrimental impacts on the surrounding community as a result of feedback from that community and to impose conditions in response to those comments to make sure that those negative impacts are mitigated. The commissioner will have the capacity to refuse the allocation of a licence if they believe there are too many liquor licensees already operating in that general vicinity. These are all areas for reform. The government is pleased that it has put in place a process to do that.
I would also like to talk about enforcement. Enforcement is the other key element of this reform package. The government has announced that it believes that from the risk-based licensing regime it can put in place additional police powers to be able to enforce conditions of liquor licences and the responsible service of alcohol. The government believes two dedicated teams of approximately six officers each, 12 in total, can be established as a dedicated team to deal with liquor licensing.
At the same time we are proposing that the powers related to the enforcement of the responsible service of alcohol shift from the civilian inspectorate to police, because it is the police who are out on the job at the time when these licensed venues are generally operating. Indeed, it has been our experience that when the civilian inspectorate has gone out and checked on the operation of licensed venues they have only been able to do so in the presence of the police in any event. So it makes sense for the police to take that front-line enforcement job on. We want to provide the additional resourcing to do that, but that resourcing can only be done through some recovery of the cost, which is an important element of the liquor licensing fee structure.
Finally, I would like to comment on the issue of lockouts. I note that the Greens are indicating their opposition to that. I note also that Mrs Dunne has raised some
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video