By Andy Young
LSA NSW executive director Michael Waters has said that the compliance performance of the state's liquor stores is heading in the right direction, but added they "can and must do better".
Speaking at the LSA NSW 2015 Retail Liquor Industry Awards for Excellence at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth on Friday night, Waters spoke about the mystery shop component of the Awards Program.
Conducted, for the fourth year running in partnership with Serve Legal, the mystery shop sees visits to nominated stores to assess the shopping experience against a broad range of criteria. The mystery shoppers also test regulatory compliance and adherence to the ID-25 policy.
Waters said: "During my speech 12 months ago, I stood up here and told you all that last year's compliance performance was not to the very high standard we as an industry would want, and expect to achieve, and that more work needed to be done.
"I am pleased to say that we have lifted our game this year. We are heading in the right direction, but we are not where we need to be yet. We can and must do better."
He added: "As we approach the end of school year and busy festive period, this should serve as a timely reminder. Retailers must continue their diligence in this respect.
"We have all the tools and resources to support our members in this regard, from ID-25 and Don't Buy it For Them, to our ID Compliance Audit and the recently launched Compliance Health Check."