Freo pub refused 2am closing

Karl Bullers at The National Hotel in Fremantle

The owner of a Fremantle pub says it does not make sense to allow 2am trading in Northbridge but not in the port city after being denied an extended trading permit.

Karl Bullers said there was "no consistency" in the decision to deny a permit to The National Hotel on Fremantle's High Street but grant one last month to Beer Works Tavern in Northbridge.

He said if a 2am closing time could encourage a more orderly dispersal of people in Northbridge, which the Liquor Commission suggested in its Beer Works decision, it would do the same in Fremantle.

"The two decisions completely contradict each other," Mr Bullers said. "If crowd dispersal is assisted by spreading out closing times, this must mean that one of the issues in Fremantle is that all the bars close within an hour of each other. Surely this strengthens the case for a later ETP in Freo.

"If an ETP in Northbridge is not going to contribute to alcohol-related harm, why would it contribute in Fremantle?"

The Liquor Commission recently upheld a Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor decision to deny The National an extended trading permit in part because of what it said was the "high level of alcohol-related harm in Fremantle".

"Given the premises have only recently reopened, there is inevitably an element of speculation on what may or may not happen in the future, particularly whether the applicant's belief that the premises will attract a mature and largely trouble-free crowd will be realised," it said in its decision.

The commission declined to comment because Mr Bullers has appealed to the Supreme Court.

Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said the city supported a 1am closing for The National and he was sympathetic to some of Mr Bullers' concerns.

Australian Hotels Association WA chief executive Bradley Woods said the commission's decision was "out of step with the maturing and modern expectations of consumers".

Source:  The West Australian - 3 December 2014