Number of inspections of Gold Coast venues halved as concerns about safety raised

City venues were hit with half the number of inspections and warnings as during the height of the Covid-19 shutdown – sparking concerns officials are “dropping the ball”.

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The Glitter Strip’s most high-profile MP has accused authorities of “dropping the ball” after liquor venue inspections and warnings halved in the year following the height of the pandemic.

A total of 660 inspections were undertaken and 111 warnings issued on the Gold Coast by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) in the 12 months before March 31, 2022.

In the same time span between 2019-2020, 971 inspections and 215 warnings were handed out across the city.

There were no prosecutions by OLGR of licensed ­venues on the Gold Coast.

Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek accused the government of “dropping the ball”, claiming residents had told him they were concerned about drunk patrons leaving licensed venues in the area.

“The Gold Coast is being ­further neglected and overlooked by the government with the lack of OLGR staff presence and the corresponding lack of accountability for licensed venues,” he said.

Police on the beat in Cavill Ave. Photograph: Jason O'Brien / Sunday Mail

“Locals would be questioning whether (10 OLGR staff on the Gold Coast) is sufficient for an area with such a concentration of licensed ­venues and two Safe Night Precincts (SNPs).

“What about the attacks on police just doing their job, or patrons attacked by coward punches? The data shows that when it comes to inspections, warnings and prosecutions of licensed premises, Labor could and should be doing more.”

SNPs were created by the state government to reduce late-night drug and alcohol ­violence and ensure sufficient policing, support services and transport.

Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach are classed as SNP areas.

OLGR, The Queensland Police Service and the Office of Fair Trading last month launched a citywide crackdown on 59 security providers and 34 Coast venues.

Earlier this year, another police crackdown was sparked after two officers were knocked out in separate attacks outside a Gold Coast nightclub over the Easter weekend.

Both attacks were outside the ­Havana RnB nightclub on ­Orchid Ave in Surfers Paradise.

An officer was knocked out cold on Saturday night, before a second suffered the same fate on Sunday night.

In the first of the two alleged assaults, police were called to reports of a brawl involving five inebriated men about 11.45pm on Saturday.

In a separate incident on the following night, a senior constable sustained a serious facial injury after being knocked unconscious in an ­alleged assault when police say a man was refused entry to the venue.

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman has been contacted for comment.

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