By Elise Ferrari
A disturbance complaint lodged against five Manly pubs has been knocked back in the Supreme Court.
The complaint, submitted by Manly Council in May 2009 under Section 79 of the Liquor Act 2007, requested a closing time of 2am or earlier and a strict enforcement of RSA.
At the time, the submission was lodged as an umbrella complaint for all hotels in the area, and not directed at any one venue.
In February 2010, five licensed premises were named in an amended application – The Steyne, Old Manly Boatshed, New Brighton Hotel, Ivanhoe Hotel and Henry Afrikas.
Manly Mayor Jean Hay explained that communications received from the Director General of Communities NSW, Carol Mills, states that the complaint was not valid as it did not identify the effected hotels in the original application.
“It appears that the Director General has taken a highly technical approach to the lodging of a complaint which indicates that a new Section 79 Disturbance Complaint would need to be lodged,” Mayor Hay said.
NSW Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Greene, said that despite the application being denied at this point, work is still being done to address the issue.
"Communities NSW is currently working with key Government and industry stakeholders to establish the Manly Precinct Liquor Accord which, under Hassle Free Nights, will provide additional resources to address the alcohol-related issues of concern to local police and the community.
The matter is due to be discussed at Manly’s Community Safety Committee meeting tomorrow (Aug 12).