Spirits back on the table as authorities relax Adelaide CBD takeaway alcohol restrictions

First introduced in April, restrictions on takeaway liquor Adelaide’s CBD have been relaxed for the first time.

Restrictions on the sale of alcohol in Adelaide’s CBD will be partly relaxed from today, but cask wine is still in the crosshairs to target anti-social behaviour.

In April, hotels and venues in the city banded together with the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner to introduce voluntary limits on takeaway alcohol purchases.

Authorities and publicans both raised concerns about worsening crime in the city, with serious injuries from assault reaching a 12-year high in 2022.

Sales on four and five litre casks of wine, as well as a blanket ban on fortified wine casks, were enforced and remain in place.

Police presence can be seen along Hindley Street on a Friday night in Adelaide. Picture: Morgan Sette

Customers could also only purchase one two-litre cask, two 700ml bottles of spirits or a one-litre bottle of spirits per person each day, but these restrictions have now been lifted.

Commissioner Dino Soulio said the move came after feedback from authorities and interested parties.

“Based on the feedback from stakeholders – including the South Australia Police, the Australian Hotels Association, the Adelaide City Council, members of the Government’s Safety and Wellbeing Taskforce and local licensees – I support the lifting of this voluntary restriction on the sale of spirits in the short-term,” Mr Soulio said.

“Given the nature of the change, I shall revisit this early in the New Year to see what impact it has had – if any – on harm and anti-social behaviour within the CBD.”

“I will then work with licensees and authorities to determine the next steps.”

The booze bans were aimed at “hotspot” areas on the western part of North Tce, which includes the Convention Centre, railway station and Parliament House.

In July, police were also given special powers to search and remove people from a stretch of the city between West Tce and Pultney St, including North Tce and parts of the parklands.

Australian Hotels Association SA president David Basheer, who also owns the Strathmore Hotel across from Parliament House, said that by July there was “a real change in the mood of the streets” and “a quite significant improvement”.

“The restrictions were one trigger, but certainly not the only one,” Mr Basheer said.

“It was the other agencies and the city council working together, that was the cocktail that made it work.”

AHA SA president David Basheer at the Strathmore Hotel. Picture: Tom Huntley

Mr Basheer said “the streets became quite unpleasant” in the months leading up to the booze ban.

“Inside the hotel, it was minimal because we had good security and experienced staff,” he said.

“But out on the street, there was a lot of anti-social behaviour, fighting between groups, intimidation of tourists, and that sort of thing.”

Mr Basheer said restrictions were only ever meant to be a “circuit breaker” and there was “no intention it be permanent”.

“For us, it was about bringing to the table our observations, those of our staff and those of our customers, and it was about understanding what was working and what wasn’t,” he said.

“There are still some elements of restrictions, but at the same time, licensees, who have co-operated throughout the process, are able to run their business in a manner suitable for themselves.”

Adelaide City Council director of city shaping Ilia Houridis said local government backed the move.

“As a member of the Safety and Wellbeing Taskforce, the City of Adelaide supports the decision to lift the voluntary restriction on the sale of spirits,” he said.

“We continue to liaise with other members of the Taskforce about measures to reduce anti-social behaviour in the city.”

SA Police have been contacted for comment and asked whether there was an observable decrease in crime during the ban.