Time for a review of Queensland licensing and alcohol laws in wake of viral video captured at The Grand Hotel, Labrador

Queensland is due for a full review of licensing and alcohol laws after patrons were seen being pushed down a flight of stairs by security guards at a Gold Coast hotel in a shocking viral video, writes Peter Gleeson.

IT was that classic Aussie literary character Les Norton who redeemed the reputation of bouncers.

Penned by the late Robert G Barrett, the series of novels on the rough-and-tumble life of Les are so quintessentially Australian that they should be introduced into the school curriculum.

On second thoughts, maybe 12-year-old boys should not be exposed to Les’s legendary womanising feats and his colourful language.

Nevertheless, Les showed what being a bouncer was all about – his silver tongue doing the talking to avert violence, unless of course it was a lost cause and then his pugilistic skills came to the fore.

And boy could Les fight.

This week, when I saw the vision of two patrons being pushed down the stairs at The Grand Hotel, Labrador, I wondered aloud – what would Les have done?

Take it from me, he would never have pushed people down the stairs. Instead, he would have tried to talk them around.

If that didn’t work, he would have taken them around the corner – away from prying view of CCTV footage – and given them a good old-fashioned walloping.

When it comes to dangerous and thankless jobs, being a security guard would have to be right up near the top of the list.

Police have a tough job, so too paramedics. Portaloo maintenance guys would probably take the cake, as the movie Kenny demonstrated.

But as a security guard, having to deal with drunken, unruly patrons is but one of the many facets of keeping the peace at pubs, clubs and major events.

With the emergence in the past decade of high-quality CCTV footage, and phone cameras, we are seeing more and more examples of overzealous actions from law enforcement.

Police are not immune from being held to account.

Another still from the viral video.

The most obvious in recent times has been the George Floyd death in the United States, where the main perpetrator, policeman Derek Chauvin, was found guilty of murder.

The Labrador incident sparked a lawyer’s call for a state review of the responsible service of alcohol and security guard laws.

Gold Coast-based Queensland compensation law expert Bruce Simmonds says the video, recorded by a bystander and widely shared among the news media, shows an incident that should never have happened.

In the footage outside The Grand Hotel at Labrador, three male security guards and two patrons – a man and woman – are seen in a heated discussion after the pair were reportedly ordered to leave the premises. It’s been claimed they were affected by alcohol.

Mr Simmonds said the subsequent video is confronting but while there’s been a rush to condemn the security guards’ actions, he thinks wider issues need to be considered.

“This should never have happened, and if a patron was injured as a result of such action, you could expect lawsuits with the bouncers, their employers and the hotel being dragged into it,” he says.

A woman is sent tumbling down a flight of stairs in the video.

We know that with the impact of the pandemic, hotels and clubs are using minimum staff numbers now to cut down on costs.

If there are not enough guards, then the risk of violent confrontations with drunk patrons escalates.

It’s time for a full review of state licensing and alcohol laws, taking into account full risk assessments of venues and events.

The problem of unruly patrons could also be reduced by merely enforcing responsible management and guidelines for the sale and supply of alcohol.

Surely, the onus must come back onto the proprietor when somebody is so drunk that they don’t know what they are doing.

There’s an old saying that nothing good happens in a hotel or nightclub after midnight, when people are as full as a state school bus.

But it is during these times when people are at their most exposed and susceptible and they need more protection from legislators.

Police officers and security guards need to be empathetic when dealing with intoxicated revellers, despite challenges. Picture: iStock

They also need protection from overenthusiastic crowd controllers, some of whom let the power go to their heads.

Dealing with drunks is never easy. They can be irrational and unable to process sensibly.

But that’s all the more reason for police and security guards to be empathetic and on their best behaviour.

We need a proper review of the way security guards and police handle those who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In the long run, it will protect not just the drunks, but everybody involved.

‘Disappointing’: Bar boss aghast after patrons pushed down stairs

May 20: An experienced security guard who has manned some of the Gold Coast’s rowdiest bars says the woman pushed down a flight of stairs by bouncers at The Grand Hotel “had it coming”.

But a bar boss on the Gold Coast is aghast at the view.

Shane Wyrzynski is calling for an “end to the f***ing bulls**t comments” on a viral video, which shows three security guards in an altercation with a man and woman outside the Labrador waterhole last weekend.

While not involved in the incident at The Grand Hotel in Labrador, former bouncer Shane Wyrzynski says security staff shouldn’t have to go to work to be hit, kicked, spat on or glassed. Picture: Gold Coast Bulletin

While he’s not “sticking up” for the security staff involved, he believes the woman was pushed with “reasonable force”.

“I’ve been in the industry for 28 years and have analysed the video numerous times,” Mr Wyrzynski said, who worked as head security at Glitter Strip hot spots including Bourbon Bar and Crazy Horse Showgirls in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Mr Wyrzynski says he has sustained numerous injuries at the hands of unruly patrons over the years. Picture: Supplied.

“You can clearly see the female is the aggressor and was given at least two warnings not to push past the guards and she’s come at them.

“I’m not defending or sticking up for the guards, but if you are kicked out of a venue and follow the rules, there is no incident. That’s the bottom line.”

He said “once someone is removed from a venue, serious charges should apply if they try to get back in”.

The video of the incident went viral and has made national headlines. Picture: Supplied.

“There’s already hefty fines, and they are clearly written on the door of every single venue in Queensland – so it’s amazing to me that people are shocked over the incident.”

Two of the guards will not return to work at The Grand, their employer Regal Security said.

Witness Joel Weidenbach told Channel 9 no one deserved the treatment dished out by security and “she wasn’t a threat to anyone”.

Shane Wyrzynski’s broken finger from an attack from a 14-year-old while he was working as a security officer in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Supplied

To date, The Grand has remained tight-lipped about the viral video that surfaced after the May 14 incident, in which the two patrons, a male and female, were pushed down the stairs at the club’s entrance after a heated confrontation with security.

The footage shows the woman tumbling down the stairs when she’s forcefully pushed down the stairs a second time.

Mr Wyrzynksi said the gender or size of an aggressive patron “made no difference”.

He says he has been “glassed, spit on, kicked, hit and bitten” by females and males “no heavier than 60kg”.

“The woman was out of line.

“It was reasonable force, but I do believe the push near a flight of stairs was very reckless on behalf of security.

“He used the same force that was used against him and she had it coming when she refused to leave the venue.”

In February, Mr Wyrzynksi called for more on-the-beat police patrols of Surfers Paradise’s safe-night precinct to curb youth crime after he was king-hit by a teenager. He suffered head injuries, a torn right bicep and a broken finger.

Shane Wyrzynski (far right), during his time as a bouncer at Bourbon Bar in Surfers Paradise (2005). Picture: Michael Ross.

Mr Wyrzynski defended the male victim of The Grand altercation and said the push that sent him down the stairs was “in no way safe”.

“It’s always an extremely dangerous situation to be involved in an altercation near stairs,” he said.

“If you watch the video carefully, the male is even telling the female to stop. I would call the way he was pushed as a coward push.

But he says the two were “clearly gronks who should have followed the rules and p***ed off back home”.

“Security staff should never have to go to work to face being king-hit, bitten, glassed, spat on or bashed,” he said.

Tim Martin, president of Surfers Paradise Licensed Venues Association said while he couldn't comment “specifically on the actions and motivations of what happened” at The Grand, it was “disappointing the situation wasn’t de-escalated”.

Surfers Paradise Licensed Venues Association president Tim Martin. Picture: Jerad Williams

“The safety of patrons and staff should always be top of mind for a venue and its security staff,” he said.

“The role of security is to protect patrons by acting calmly to de-escalate situations in the face of what can be sometimes challenging circumstances.

“That’s why in Surfers Paradise we have extensive policies as part of the safe night precinct combined with a heavy police presence to minimise risk of these incidents.”

The video made national headlines and spread rapidly online, prompting more people to air allegations about security at the venue.

There has been widespread criticism of the guards in the video, but some have defended their actions and pointed fingers at the revellers.

The Grand Hotel is yet to release a public statement. Queensland Police said it was yet to receive a complaint.