The measures were supported by a social marketing community education campaign aimed at changing the drinking culture in Queensland.
Queensland’s Liquor Act now provides for proactive strategies to minimise harm from the sale and supply of alcohol.
One of the most important strategies deals with the supply of alcohol to minors, particularly by their parents, through the introduction of a provision which makes it an offence for a person, in a private place, to irresponsibly supply alcohol to a minor. Police also have the ability to seize liquor from minors in private places if the consumption of the liquor is not being responsibly supervised. This is the first time such an offence has been recognised in Queensland law.
Additionally, the provision of a ministerial banning power enables urgent action to be taken to prevent the sale of undesirable liquor products which inappropriately target young people or encourage rapid and excessive consumption.
The introduction of mandatory responsible management of licensed venues and responsible service of alcohol training for licensees and managers and responsible service of alcohol training for all liquor employees has encouraged responsible industry practices by increasing awareness of the liquor laws and the application of those laws to ensure the safety of patrons in and around licensed premises.
To further reduce the risks associated with the sale and supply of alcohol from licensed premises, it is now mandatory for all applications for medium and high risk new liquor licences, and applications to change the operation of licensed premises to include the completion of a risk assessed management plan and a community impact statement.
Another provision acknowledges the important role played by liquor accords in addressing problems associated with alcohol misuse and abuse in and around licensed premises. Voluntary liquor accords, consisting of licensees, police, local government and representatives of the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation are a co-operative approach to local liquor-related issues, and have now been recognised in the Liquor Act. As at 31 May 2010 there are over 80 liquor accords in Queensland.
A further measure has been the streamlining of the licence and permit system. The system now provides for two major categories of licences, namely – commercial licences and community licences – down from the previous seven major categories.
Annual liquor licence fees have also been introduced and are based on the risk that each licensed premises presents to the community. The fees ensure that licensees contribute appropriately to the direct, on-going costs to government of administering, managing and regulating the sale, supply and consumption of liquor at the premises.
In 2009, the Government passed legislation to further reduce alcohol related harm by banning regular glass from high risk venues. This legislation was accompanied by a social marketing campaign in October 2009 on the Gold Coast focussed on the dire consequences of glassings.
Under the Government’s 2008 reforms, the trading hours of licensed premises were also restricted. Ordinary trading hours are now 10am to 12 midnight for all venues, with limited exceptions for special facilities such as casinos and some airports.
Applications for approval to trade in the higher risk post midnight period, are subject to more stringent requirements to ensure harm is minimised and appropriate levels of safety are maintained. It should be noted, however, that many such applications are currently affected by the Government’s ongoing moratorium in this area.
In September 2009, a 12 month moratorium was introduced on applications for extended trading hours after midnight except in a very limited number of designated inner-city areas where there is a concentration of late night trading venues.
The moratorium is in place until the Government can consider the outcomes of the Parliamentary Inquiry by the Law, Justice and Safety Committee into alcohol-related violence. The Inquiry was established in August 2009 via a referral from the Legislative Assembly at the request of the Government.
The final report of the committee was released on 18 March 2010 and contained 68 wide-ranging recommendations. The Government is consulting with the community and key industry stakeholders before formally responding to the recommendations.
The Bligh Government’s liquor reforms have seen Queensland lead the way with the most significant alcohol reform program in Australia.
