Balwyn North poll to decide on liquor licence at Ostlers

THE archaic practice of voting on liquor licenses has returned in Balwyn North – and people who forget to cast a vote on whether a nearby cellar can serve grog will face a hefty fine.

A liquor licence poll is being conducted for Ostlers North Balwyn Cellars

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THE archaic tradition of the liquor licence poll has returned in Balwyn North.

Residents will vote on an application from Ostlers North Balwyn Cellars in Doncaster Rd to serve alcohol.

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Voting packs will be sent out this week to neighbours with the papers due back to the Victorian Electoral Commission by October 17.

The poll is compulsory and those who fail to vote will be fined $74.

While a cellar is already permitted to sell bottled alcohol, Ostlers requires the permit to serve alcohol within the cellar.

The tradition of the liquor licence dry-area poll dates back to the 1920s, when there was a large anti-alcohol movement in the eastern suburbs.

The Victorian Electoral Commision’s senior communications adviser Christine Gounder said that in 1920, all of Victoria voted in a poll on whether to abolish liquor licences completely, reduce their number or make no change.

“For the purposes of the poll, the entire state was divided into polling areas and only two areas voted to abolish liquor licences,” Ms Gounder said.

“(They were) the City of Camberwell, which is now the eastern part of Boroondara, and Box Hill.

“This defined Melbourne’s ‘dry area’ and required that any application for a liquor license would require a poll of local residents.

“The first poll within the dry area didn’t take place until 1965. It wasn’t until 2004 that legislation changed to allow polls to be undertaken by post.”

The dry area covers parts of Balwyn, Balwyn North, Canterbury, Camberwell, Ashburton and Glen Iris as well as Surrey Hills, Mont Albert, Mont Albert North, Box Hill, Box Hill South and Box Hill North.

Up until 2014, residents were required to vote on whether new restaurants and cafes could serve alcohol.

“From 2015, as directed by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR), dry area polls have no longer been required for restaurant and cafe liquor licence applications,” Ms Gounder said.

“The VEC continues to poll affected dry areas for general (hotel and bar), on-premises and club liquor licence applications as instructed by the VCGLR.

“The current application is for an on-premises licence.”

Residents who will be away during this period are advised to contact the VEC on 131 832 to arrange an early postal vote.