By James Atkinson
Microbreweries, Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group, Red Bull Australia and many health organisations are among the more than 80 parties that have made submissions on Western Australia's Liquor Act review.
As WA's convenience stores argued for their right to sell alcohol, other submissions received by the Liquor Act Review Committee called for regulators to:
- introduce secondary supply legislation and controlled purchase operations (Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia and Commissioner for Children and Young People);
- allow existing liquor licensees the right to online direct sales of liquor available to (ALH Group);
- allow holders of a producers licence to conduct on-site sale and consumption of their products, which would currently require them to apply for a separate tavern licence (Billabong Brewing and Beaten Track Brewery);
- impose limits on the alcohol content of alcoholic energy drinks and conditions on on-premise liquor licences restricting the mixing of alcohol and energy drinks (McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth);
- remove existing restrictions and bans on energy drinks in venues across WA (Red Bull Australia);
- consider raising the legal minimum drinking age to 21 (National Drug Research Institute); and
- create a licensing system where low risk venues are recognised and rewarded and high risk venues are appropriately penalised (Small Bar Association of WA).
All submissions on the review are available to read here. The Liquor Act Review Committee is expected to hand down its report in September.