Liquor Commission flags key changes to liquor licenses for Alice Springs venues
Rules around lunchtime beers could get tweaked in Alice Springs, under new license conditions flagged by the Territory’s Liquor Commission – who’ve also hinted there could be more to come.
Lunchtime beers at 19 Alice Springs venues are set to change under new license conditions proposed by the Territory’s Liquor Commission, which is also looking to place additional measures on four venues – while also flagging there could be more to come.
The changes, the result of a close to seven month investigation in Alice Springs by the Commission, are open for consultation, with punters having until 5pm December 18 to provide their feedback.
Commission chairman Russell Goldflam is behind the proposal, which is seeking to restrict the service of full strength liquor in Alice Springs on Wednesday to Fridays at the listed Alice Springs venues, which include clubs, pubs, hotels, and restaurants.
“This variation will not inconvenience people who wish to have a glass of wine or a beer with their lunch, or impair the capacity of licensees to offer this service to the public,” Mr Goldflam wrote in the notice.
“The Commission expects, however, that this proposed variation will have a significantly beneficial effect on patrons who attend licensed premises during a weekday for the dominant purpose of drinking alcohol.”
Mid-strength liquor can still be brought without a meal, according to the proposed variation, but for those looking to only drink, the variation could see patrons “less likely to be intoxicated by the time they exit the premises at 3pm,” Mr Goldflam writes in the notice.
Commission investigates daytime drinking concerns in Alice
The variation comes after the Commission received correspondence from Yeperenye Shopping Centre managing director Owen Cole, and an unrelated correspondence from the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC).
Mr Cole wrote to the Commission in February this year, concerned about “the conduct of the licensed premises operating in the CBD of Alice Springs” and the “anti-social issues arising from their mode of operations”.
“A specific concern identified by Mr Cole was that ‘principally Aboriginal patrons with dependency issues’ drink heavily at venues in the CBD prior to 3pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and then congregate near the BWS takeaway outlet in an intoxicated state at around the time it opens, causing offence, annoyance, disturbance, inconvenience and fear to shoppers, shopkeepers and their staff in the Yeperenye Centre, as well as in the nearby Alice Plaza shopping centre,” Mr Goldflam wrote in his notice.
CAAC had a similar concern, with theirs instead centred around licensed venues on Todd St and access issues it was causing to Headspace, a mental health service for youths.
“Congress stated that it had received ‘multiple reports … describing regular disturbances involving individuals who appear intoxicated, shouting, engaging in aggressive behaviour, and at times, physical violence directly outside these venues’,” Mr Goldflam wrote.
The Commission combined the complaints into the single investigation, which began in April. Mr Cole wrote to the Commission in February, while CAAC wrote to them in May.
During the investigation, Mr Goldflam visited Yeperenye Shopping Centre, where he observed “a large number of predominantly Aboriginal people congregate both around the taxi rank in Bath St” but also observed “modest queues” at the BWS bottle-shop inside the centre.
He did, however, observe some people inside the shopping centre who were intoxicated, writing “it is reasonable to infer that the majority of these intoxicated persons have been drinking at the Todd Tavern, The NT Rock Bar and, earlier in the day, Bojangles”.
“Not all of the intoxicated people at the Yeperenye Centre at these times cause trouble, and not all of the trouble that does occur at these times is caused by intoxicated people,” he wrote.
In his investigation into the Rock Bar, the Todd Tavern, and Bojangles, he observed all three are “heavily patronised by Aboriginal drinkers” from opening to between to 1-3pm.
“It is not uncommon for children to loiter near the Todd Tavern, Bojangles and The NT Rock Bar during daytime trading hours, and to request staff to locate their parents inside,” Mr Goldflam wrote.
Neither Todd Tavern, the Rock Bar, or Bojangles were accused of any wrongdoing by Mr Goldflam, and this masthead is not suggesting any wrongdoing by either of the licensed venues.
The Rock Bar, which trades with a restaurant authority, was found to be without the ability to serve food, but Mr Goldflam wrote the licensee had since installed a pizza oven after this was flagged.
Daytime ID scanning proposed under new variation
But, as the result of his investigation, Mr Goldflam further wants the three venues – and Uncles Tavern – to establish an “on premises identification system”.
The “identification system” would not use BDR (Banned Drinkers Register) scanners, instead requiring the “affected licensees to use iPads loaded with commercial applications already in wide use in various parts of Australia” which will scan punters on entry.
The scanning would check for any court orders made which prevent the person from drinking booze, and would also check if the punter has previously been previously evicted from another premises.
Mr Goldflam, in the proposal, noted how NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage also recommended a 12-month trial of BDR, which the NT minister for the prevention of domestic violence Robyn Cahill knocked back.
Ms Armitage’s recommendation was one of 35 made in the landmark domestic violence death inquest of four Aboriginal women: Kumarn Rubuntja, Kumanjayi Haywood, Miss Yunupingu and Ngeygo Ragurrk.
“The Commission recognises that the problems of anti-social behaviour in particular and alcohol-related harm in general cannot be fixed merely by varying licence
conditions,” Mr Goldflam wrote.
Currently, both Epilogue in the Todd Mall and Bojangles are using scanning software at night, while the variation is for the four premises to use the technology in the day time.
Excluded from the proposed license variation by the Commission is the Alice Springs Brewing Co and the Jump Inn.
The brewery currently holds a producers license, while Jump Inn opens at 4pm – later than the flagged venues, who all hold either a restaurant/bar authority or a full liquor license.
The Commission further flagged recommendations such as licensees providing “free finger food”, that additional resourcing be given to liquor inspectors in Alice Springs, and information about foetal alcohol spectrum disorder be included in staff RSA training.
Once the responses are received, the Commission will consider them, and then publish their decision on the proposed variations.
Interested parties seeking to respond should email the Liquor Commission at liquor.commission@nt.gov.au
Originally published as Liquor Commission flags key changes to liquor licenses for Alice Springs venues
