Western Australia’s Liquor Licensing policies have undergone a major overhaul to promote a vibrant hospitality and tourism industry and make it easier for small and medium business to operate.
The announcement was made yesterday by the Director of Liquor Licensing (DLL) after a review found many of the existing policies to no longer be fit for purpose, with the suite of 54 policies streamlined to 14, effective immediately.
Showcasing a commitment to the ongoing development of Western Australia’s liquor, hospitality and tourism industries, changes will benefit the state’s live music industry and ease restrictions on licensed premises, while minimising alcohol-related harm with updated RSA expectations.
Australian Hotels Association, Western Australia (AHA WA) CEO Bradley Woods has welcomed the reform, praising the DLL and the Government’s work in making comprehensive, positive changes to the polices.
“The primary objective of the changes are to reduce red tape, eliminate unreasonable conditions and ensure policies are reasonable and fit for purpose. We have long argued that there are too many policy guidelines and they are too complex, so having less and clearer, straightforward polices that minimise red tape is very welcome,” he stated.
To facilitate a vibrant live music industry, businesses will be able to apply for extended trading hours to feature local artists, a policy which previously only applied to interstate and international performers, along with the removal of extended trading hour restrictions on Sundays over long weekends.
Under the policy changes, young people over the age of 16 will now be able to collect glasses in licensed premises, deeming the task as cleaning as opposed to serving alcohol, which Woods describes as a commonsense approach, creating more job opportunities for young people.
“It makes sense to allow 16-year-olds to collect glasses in licensed venues, where previously they could not clear anything that had once contained alcohol. This positive change will offer youngsters valuable work experience and help venues ease labour shortages,” he explained.
It is anticipated that the policy reform will bring cost-saving measures to small business and lessen administrative burden, with the introduction of the Harm Minimisation Plan, for example, replacing the former House Management Policy, Code of Conduct and Management Plan with one document.
By eliminating the 10-year renewal requirement for extended trading permits, the DLL anticipates that the industry will save half a million dollars in the next 10 years and 4000 person-hours spent making and processing applications.
Additionally, administrative burden will be removed from training institutions offering work placements in hospitality to people aged under 18, as a means of encouraging more trainees into the industry.
Previously, each student on every course required individual approval, with the new policy stipulating that approval is only required once a year for a specific course.