Today NSW enacts the most comprehensive changes to liquor laws in 25 years. A new Liquor Act was passed by the NSW Parliament in December last year and today is the first day these laws swing into motion.
Three words: Bring it on.
Central to the reforms is taking liquor licensing out of the courts and introducing an administrative-based system to reduce the red tape and cost for industry, the community and government alike.
It seems to me this is win, win and more win.
Not only have my friends and I been voicing our opinions (granted, mainly only to each other and generally in the wee hours at such venues as the Judgment Bar on Oxford Street or the Court House Hotel in Newtown) over the years about the problem of there being no decent wine bars or hole in the wall drinkeries in our fair city but the NSW Wine Industry Association has been voicing theirs too. Their campaign has been going on for the past decade; they have been asking that producer licences be brought into line with conditions in other states. Finally their calls have been answered too.
The Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing say there will be less red tape and - more importantly - less cashola for people wanting to have a go at creating a decent watering hole (yes, I paraphrased). Some liquor licences will now cost no more than $500.00 whereas before, people wishing to open a bar had to get a full hotelier’s licence, which costs $2,000 plus an additional $6,600 for the Social Impact Assessment, add to that, an annual fee of $2,500. As the SIA process is complex and can take months to complete, many applicants used to end up spending tens of thousands of dollars on expert consultants to assist them with the process. Boring!
From today, all current restaurants with a dine-or-drink authority will automatically become an on-premises licence (restaurant) and will be endorsed with a 'primary service authorisation'. This allows on-premises licences in relation to a restaurant to sell or supply liquor for consumption on the premises otherwise than with, or ancillary to, a meal.
Gone are the days when one had to be seen eating downstairs at Baron’s in Kings Cross before continuing the night upstairs. What a farce that was.
Rather than the "Small Bar" Bill introduced by Clover Moore, there is no stipulation on size of these new licensed premises in the Liquor Act. The power to approve Development Applications is now held by the local councils.
The AHA say they expect that the City of Sydney will allow a number of new ventures, but they “hope that other Local Councils across NSW will be extremely mindful of their local communities and refuse applications for new premises by possible "fly by nighters".
In relation to the new laws the Australian Hotels Association say their concern is that “there will be a temptation for people with nothing more than a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate to apply for a General Bar licence of whatever size they like without any commitment to the local community, whereas hotels are an entrenched part of the local town, suburb or city, providing safe venues with on site security, RSA-trained staff and experienced licensees skilled in dealing with people.”
I don’t doubt that hotels run their establishments with utmost professionalism, but this stand point is coming from an association with an interest in keeping punters in their hotels.
From an experienced socialiser’s view point I look forward to hopefully observing, over the coming years, more people with aesthetic style, creativity, vision and diversity running bars.
Maybe musicians will even have more haunts to play in resulting in a reinvigoration of Sydney’s nightlife making it less about big bars, big bills, big hair and lary RSL carpet.
Maybe the fact that it’s easier to run a bar now will mean more people doing it for the love and not so much the money. Anyone who has looked to indulge their tastes in a bit of random music in a bar around Sydney over the last few years will know it’s become almost impossible.
It’s my hope that from today we will start noticing some culture re-entering Sydney.
Oh, and for those of you having ‘Dry July’ like me… good luck.
