By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
The licensee of the Royal Hotel in Temora, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, has been given a three-month suspension of his liquor licence after selling takeaway alcohol during another forced closure.
In June last year, the Royal Hotel had its trading suspended for 28 days under the Minor Sanctions Scheme, after being caught selling alcohol to minors. About midway through the closure, NSW Police caught licensee Vojislav Krstic and his son Goran selling three takeaway longneck bottles of beer on the premises of the hotel.
Liquor & Gaming NSW lodged a complaint to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) about the two in December 2015, stating that Vojislav Krstic was unfit to hold a liquor licence, and that his son was also an improper person to be involved with the hotel.
On 1 July, ILGA accepted a voluntary three-month suspension from either party holding a liquor licence or managing a licensed premises in New South Wales, from that date.
This is not the first time the Krstic’s have been in trouble with ILGA. During their time at the Royal Hotel, the pair have racked up 30 Liquor Act breaches for offenses including permitting violent and quarrelsome behaviour, trading on restricted days, and several occasions of selling alcohol to minors.
In its latest submission to the ILGA board, Liquor & Gaming NSW said it was “particularly concerning” that alcohol was sold on 14 June 2015, while the venue was suspended from trading. It also noted that there was a “deliberate attempt to flout the requirements of the law” with the customer required to “exit through the back of the venue, presumably to avoid detection”.
“Furthermore, the absence of positive remedial action by the licensee and close associate to rectify any management issues following the suspension of the venue’s licence … exhibits a lack of agility and adaptability required to manage a licenced premises in line with the requirements of the Liquor Act 2007,” the submission stated.
As part of the judgment, the Royal Hotel will not trade between 1 July and 30 September 2016, and was fined $7332 – the cost of Liquor & Gaming NSW’s investigation.