Queensland faces renewed push to allow alcohol sales in supermarkets
Queensland’s ban on supermarket alcohol sales has been branded “archaic” as pressure mounts on the government to follow other states and modernise retail laws. VOTE IN OUR POLL
There are renewed calls for Queensland’s “archaic” laws restricting the sale of alcohol in supermarkets to be modernised after the state was called out for its backwards approach to retail trading hours.
While shoppers can buy alcohol alongside their groceries in many places in Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, in Australia it differs from state to state.
In NSW, Victoria, the ACT and at some stores in WA, shoppers can purchase alcohol from the shelves or at designated registers inside supermarkets, but Queenslanders have never been able to do so.
Retail expert Gary Mortimer said Queensland’s “archaic laws have been in place for decades and never shifted and changed” to meet public attitudes.
“It all comes down to choice and convenience. If you want to be able to go to the local IGA and be able to buy a bottle of wine to have with dinner, we should give consumers that choice,” he said.
“And like any market, where there is no demand for it, then retailers or businesses won’t provide it.”
Earlier this week, the Business Council of Australia called on the Queensland Government to modernise trading hours, with a new report labelling the state as one of the worst jurisdictions in Australia to do business.
Some Queenslanders also want the government to allow shops like Aldi to sell alcohol, with Attorney-General Deb Frecklington saying she was “committed to consulting with all stakeholders”.
But in response to detailed questions from The Sunday Mail, including on how those consultations were progressing, a spokesperson for Ms Frecklington said: “changing laws to allow the sale of alcohol is not an immediate priority”.
In NSW and the ACT, Woolworths and Coles can have a small liquor store – like BWS or Liquorland – inside their supermarket, with a designated counter.
In WA, Aldi is the only supermarket alcohol can be purchased from.
The German supermarket chain last year slammed Queensland’s restrictive liquor laws, saying consumers were forking out more than their interstate neighbours because Coles and Woolworths had dominance in the market.
“This consolidation unnecessarily restricts consumer choice, convenience, and pricing competition,” they said in a submission to the state government.
The Queensland retail union said they would have “significant concerns” about changing the law.
Justin Power, the state branch secretary for the SDA, said alcohol is already one of the most stolen goods and allowing its sale in supermarkets would bring significant safety risks.
He said he was specifically concerned the practice of “swarming” – where a group, usually of youths, conspires to trap staff while stripping shelves – could increase.
“If you put alcohol in a supermarket, and then you have a 15-year-old employee confronted by people stealing it in an aggressive fashion, I do not see that ending well. I would have concerns for the safety of the 15-year-old,” he said.
“If we’re talking about a model where alcohol is sold in a separate area with its own register manned by adults, I would still have concerns that puts retail staff at risk, but it is a much more preferred model than having people under the age of 18 selling alcohol at registers.”
Separately, the union this week wrote to the Premier seeking confirmation the State Government would not act to permanently increase retail trading hours.
In a snap survey of 1800 people, the union found 80 per cent of its members were opposed to extended trading hours.
So commonsense you’ll wonder why it wasn’t already law
