Liquor Act review: WA Government backs call to extend hotels' Sunday trading hours, sale of alcohol at restaurants

The Western Australian Government has backed extending Sunday trading hours for licensed premises and allowing small and medium-sized restaurants to sell alcohol to patrons without them having to buy a meal.

The Government wants to cut red tape but ensure licensed businesses are adequately regulated.

The Government has released its long-awaited response to the state-commissioned review of the Liquor Control Act, in which it confirms support for extending trading by two hours to 12:00am on Sundays for hotels, taverns and small bars.

Nightclub trading will be extended to 2am on Sunday nights.

But it rejected several of the report's key recommendations - including restrictions on alcohol advertising likely to impact children or encourage irresponsible consumption of liquor, saying it supported the idea in principle but considered it a federal responsibility.

The Government's official response, tabled in State Parliament by Racing and Gaming Minister Terry Waldron, also said it did not support allowing juveniles to be used in sting operations to catch outlets illegally selling alcohol to minors.

Key recommendations the Government said it did support included:

• allowing patrons at restaurants that seat up to 120 people to buy liquor without having to purchase a meal
• changing licensing regulations to set up a new category for small bars
• requiring licensed crowd controllers working at licensed premises to complete Responsible Service of Alcohol training
• so-called "secondary supply" laws, which restrict the supply of alcohol to minors
• introducing a $2,000 fine for the creation or distribution of false identification documents
• Sunday trading for country liquor stores in major regional centres

Health concerns over trading hours extension

Prominent Western Australian health commentator Mike Daube said he welcomed the Government's commitment on secondary supply legislation to minors, but was disappointed it was not taking stronger action on alcohol advertising that affected under-18s.

Professor Daube, the director of the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth, said the Government should have also limited the establishment of licensed premises within 400 metres of schools, and the decision to extend trading hours on Sundays seemed to go "beyond the committee's recommendations".

"Increases in alcohol trading hours will inevitably lead to increased harms and further pressures on the health and police frontline staff and budgets," Mr Daube said in a statement.

"It will be important to ensure that there are adequate resources for both the law enforcement and health services that carry so much of the burden of alcohol problems."

Fears regional trading changes will impact country taverns, hotels

The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) described the WA Government's response to the review as "bittersweet" for the hospitality industry.

Chief executive Bradley Woods said country hotels and taverns in major regional centres would be concerned by supermarket stores being allowed to open on Sundays.

But he said the overall changes were a step towards bringing WA liquor laws in line with the rest of the country.

"The Government's finally allowed Sunday night trading [until] midnight, so for hotels, pubs, taverns and small bars it'll mean that we're actually moved into the 21st century," he said.

"We're not treating Sunday as this restrictive time period where people have to be in bed by 10:30 at night."

The Government will also not support a recommendation to partly base venue licensing fees on their size, or to prevent a party that had been rejected from obtaining a liquor licence from reapplying for three years.

It also knocked back the establishment of a Liquor Industry Advisory Council and a proposal to allow liquor stores to charge a fee for alcohol tastings.

The recommendations it supported were split into areas which the Government planned to legislate as a priority and issues it said required further refinement prior to legislation being introduced.

In the latter category was the introduction of a new class of license for small bars and the removal of the requirement for patrons at restaurants to buy a meal to be allowed to purchase alcohol.

Mr Waldron said the Government put significant effort into finding the right balance between cutting red tape and ensuring the industry remained adequately regulated.

"[The changes] will strengthen the balance between ensuring a robust licensing system that supports a vibrant hospitality sector, targeting individuals that misuse alcohol, bringing harm to themselves and others, and providing a safe environment," Mr Waldron said.

"Confusing laws, preventing patrons from carrying alcohol across footpaths to an alfresco area, will also be clarified.

"The Government will be introducing legislation in two stages - the first will focus on simple changes, focusing on harm minimisation priorities and simple changes to assist parts of the liquor industry to carry on business in a less onerous environment.

"In the second stage, Government will again introduce balanced measures to suit the needs of all West Australians, including ... Sunday trading hours for hotels and taverns and small bars that meet modern consumer expectations and Sunday trading for liquor stores in major regional centres."

Source : ABC News    Jacob Kagi   November 18th 2014