By Ian Neubauer
Three Melbourne nightclubs will limit late-night alcohol sales to appease calls for tough new licensing restrictions to combat a spikes in alcohol-related violence in the city.
Under the plan, patrons will only be able to purchase one standard drink per order after 1:00am, the ABC reported.
Participating venues include Escobar, Ding Dong Lounge and QBH — an Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group-managed venue where a 24-year-old died last month after he was brutally assulted by two other patrons.
The AHA, licensing authorities and police have welcomed the move, saying it demonstrates the responsible service of alcohol.
However, industry groups like the Nightclub Owners Association and the Association of Liquor Licensees Melbourne (ALLM) have said spikes in violence will not abstain until police numbers and presence are dramatically increased in the CBD and other late-night precincts.
The announcing of the new restrictions last Friday (October 3) coincided with the City Safety Summit — a round-table discussion between police, State Government and licensees to find ways to combat alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour in the city.
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