Surrey Hills residents could receive fine for not voting in liquor licence poll
Hundreds of people in a small pocket of the leafy east could soon be slugged with hefty fines — all due to an obscure and historic law. Have you heard of it?
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Almost 400 people living near Surrey Hills train station could soon be copping an $83 fine — simply because they didn’t vote on whether a business could have a general liquor licence.
The Victorian Electoral Commission sent ballot papers to 1347 eligible voters who live in the neighbourhood around 141 Union Rd, with those supporting the application outnumbering those who didn’t by more than four times.
The poll, on behalf of the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, was needed because the shop — The Hills Wine Bar — is in a designated ‘dry area’.
But the 390 people who did not vote either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ now face a fine, and must respond within 28 days with a reason as to why they did not take part.
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Electoral commissioner Warwick Gately said: “Voting is compulsory for state-enrolled voters who live in the neighbourhood surrounding the venue.”
People who failed to vote without a valid excuse may be fined, he said.
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The historic laws have been a source of contention for many years, with liquor polls within the former City of Camberwell scrapped in 2015 and Premier Daniel Andrews vowing to get rid of some of the laws before last year’s election.