Daniel Andrews vows to scrap prohibition-era dry zone — but not everyone’s behind it
THE plan to lift a booze ban that has deprived drinkers of bars and pubs in Melbourne’s leafy inner east for almost a century has been slammed, but the premier is making no apologies. Here’s how the plan could change the face of a swathe of suburbs.
National
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News.
PREMIER Daniel Andrews has been slammed for promising to lift a booze ban that has deprived drinkers of bars and pubs in Melbourne’s leafy inner east for almost a century.
On the eve of the Melbourne Cup, the Herald Sun revealed the Andrews government is vowing to scrap prohibition-era laws which have prevented watering holes from opening in the Boroondara and Whitehorse council areas.
DRY ZONE RELAXED FOR RESTAURANTS, CAFES
EASTERN SUBURBS BOOZE BAN — WHY IT HAPPENED
ALL YOUR VICTORIAN STATE ELECTION 2018 NEWS
But this morning, premier Daniel Andrews made no apology for not giving the Boroondara council a warning before announcing he would remove dry areas in its municipality.
Boroondara mayor Jim Parke slammed the government for not consulting with him before announcing they would rip up the dry zone laws.
Mr Andrews said the laws were state-based and, as he was on the campaign trail, he would be unlikely to make contact with Mr Parke.
“He knows my view and you have made sure that I know his,’’ Mr Andrews told reporters this morning.
“We think those dry areas are completely archaic, they need to be dragged into the 21st century.”
“The mayor and every elector in that great community will be able to pass their judgement on that on November 24.”
It came as Opposition Leader Matthew Guy poured cold water on Labor’s plan to ditch the century-old dry zone, saying “it comes down to priorities”.
“Melbourne’s eastern suburbs will have a choice of priorities at the next election — whether they want more police under a Liberal-Nationals government or more nightclubs under a Labor government,” he said.
The dry zone, covering parts of Ashburton, Glen Iris, Camberwell, Canterbury, Box Hill, Balwyn, Mont Albert and Surrey Hills, has meant residents have to vote on liquor licence applications for hotels, clubs and bars.
The hospitality industry says the laws have been a “major deterrent” to new venues, with only two general licences held in the area for pubs and eight on-premises licences for bars and nightclubs.
“These archaic laws are a waste of money and an unnecessary burden on locals — and we’ll get rid of them,” Mr Andrews told the Herald Sun last night.
“Melbourne’s local pubs, restaurants and bars are part of what makes our city great — this change is good news for our hospitality industry and great for jobs.”
The compulsory liquor licensing polls have cost taxpayers almost $500,000 to run since 2004, with residents usually voting in favour of venues serving alcohol.
Those who fail to vote are fined $79.
Figures obtained by the Herald Sun show 160 restaurants and cafes are able to serve alcohol in the dry zone after the laws were relaxed in 2015 to prevent them needing a public vote, but only two venues hold late-night licences.
The Australian Hotels Association’s Victorian chief executive Paddy O’Sullivan said the dry zone was “developed by wowsers and the anti-alcohol movement back in the 1920s”.
“Those days are well and truly gone, thankfully,” he said.
The dry zone is bounded by Burke Rd in the west, Middleborough Rd in the east, Koonung Creek in the north and Gardiners Creek, Warrigal Rd and Riversdale Rd in the south.
Mr O’Sullivan said residents had been deprived of quality venues because the laws “set the bar too high”, with investors not willing to spend on new bars and pubs in case liquor licences were not approved.
He praised the government’s decision and encouraged the Opposition to match it, saying the area was full of “great potential hospitality locations” that could now be “open for business”.
“This is a positive signal by the government that they have faith in the Victorian licenced premise network to be able to sell and supply liquor in a responsible way,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
“It also shows the government sees that Victorians are maturing in their attitude to the consumption of liquor at licenced premises. Unlike Sydney and other places, we don’t have the licencing restrictions of other states.”
Liquor Regulation Minister Marlene Kairouz said residents would still be able to have a say on new licensed venues through planning and permit approval processes run by local councils and the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.
“This change will make our laws the same for all Victorians, wherever they live,” she said.
Mr O’Sullivan said scrapping the dry zone would help ensure Melbourne’s status as a “24-hour city” and boost the “night time economy”.
“We don’t roll up the footpaths at midnight, we don’t have lockouts … We don’t have all the restrictive regulatory imposts that other states have got. It’s a positive trend away from that,” he said.
Twitter: @tminear
Originally published as Daniel Andrews vows to scrap prohibition-era dry zone — but not everyone’s behind it