By Andy Young
Joshua Meijer, the former Hotel Orange licensee and business owner, has been banned from holding a liquor licence or having an interest in a licensed venue for seven years following a recent conviction for commercially growing cannabis.
In June last year Meijer was sentenced to two years jail for the enhanced cultivation of cannabis for commercial purposes following an investigation by NSW Police. At the time of the offence, Mr Meijer was the licensee of Hotel Orange. He also ran three companies which were business owners of the Railway Junction Hotel in Dubbo, the Whitehorse Hotel in Surry Hills and the Coachman Hotel in Parkes.
After his conviction Liquor & Gaming NSW lodged a complaint against Meijer to the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority Board (ILGA). The ILGA Board found Mr Meijer was not a fit and proper person to hold a liquor licence "as his behaviour fell well short of the standard of conduct expected of a liquor licensee and business owner".
The decision means Meijer will be unable to run a licensed venue for the next seven years.
Liquor & Gaming NSW’s Director of Compliance Operations, Sean Goodchild, said individuals found to be involved in serious criminal conduct have no place running licensed premises in NSW.
“Individuals engaged in willful criminality such as illegal drug activity do not have the fitness and propriety to be running licensed premises and are a risk to the community and jeopardise the reputation of the industry,” Goodchild said.
“The decision by the ILGA Board serves to protect the community and acts as a strong deterrent to those contemplating similar behavior.”