NT Hospo chief executive backs Alice Springs brewery in latest Liquor Commission investigation
A Northern Territory hospitality leader has gone into bat for a Red Centre brewery, which is back under investigation by the NT Liquor Commission – a move she says is ‘unfair’. Find out why.
Pubs and clubs that are doing the right thing are “getting punished,” a Northern Territory hospitality bigwig says, as a Red Centre brewery is again investigated by the Liquor Commission.
Hospitality NT chief executive Cathy Simmonds said “it seems allegations can be made without real evidence or even due process – it is incredibly damaging, and completely unfair” when commenting on the latest investigation into Alice Springs Brewing Co.
At the beginning of May, this masthead revealed the Territory’s Liquor Commission was reinvestigating the brewery after the Alice Springs based People’s Alcohol Action Coalition (PAAC) filed a complaint against the venue.
At the time, the Commission said there was no evidence of wrongdoing at the brewery, which Alice Springs Brewing Co owner Kyle Pearson called “incredibly frustrating”.
“We comply with every law and licence condition and often go further than what’s required,” he said at the time.
Ms Simmonds said every business deserved to operate freely, knowing what’s allowed and what’s not allowed.
“There are businesses doing the right thing by law and by their license conditions, and still getting punished – how is that fair,” Ms Simmonds said.
“Local businesses already have so much on their plates, but this just makes it impossible.
“The Territory’s pubs and clubs are where locals connect, visitors feel welcome, and memorable moments are made.”
PAAC filed the complaint against the brewery in March this year, accusing the venue of having “line ups”.
But when questioned by this masthead in March, PAAC spokesman Dr John Boffa said the group did not have any photographic evidence to support its claims.
Dr Boffa instead said it was the liquor licensing inspector’s duty to go to the brewery and “take pictures and observe”.
PAAC has opposed the brewery since it was first proposed in 2018.
In September last year, the Liquor Commission ruled it was in the “public interest” the brewery continued to take away alcohol on Monday and Tuesday in Alice Springs – days when other take away outlets are barred from selling take away alcohol.
Last year’s decision was made by current Liquor Commission Chair Russell Goldflam, who declared he was a former member of PAAC in the licence review into the brewery.
Questions were sent to the Liquor Commission on how it determined which complaints were worth investigating.
The Commission declined to comment.
NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby, whose department oversees the Liquor Commission, said there were no plans to review how the Commission dealt with complaints.
More Coverage
Originally published as NT Hospo chief executive backs Alice Springs brewery in latest Liquor Commission investigation
Man and woman injured after Durack house fire
A man is in a critical condition and a woman has serious injuries after a family home went up in flames in Durack overnight.
A suitcase of meth, 3400km bus trip and a covert sting: How an interstate drug run unravelled
A Jordanian-born drug runner from Queensland has been taken into protective custody due to receiving multiple threats from his NT prison inmates, who believe he has ‘Middle Eastern connections’ and ‘vast sums of money’.