…Have YOU Got A Championship Move?

Another Great Community Initiative from Victorian Government

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** See below news snippets for all the latest re licensed premises & serving drinks in glass etc…

Double Trouble for Unruly Patrons

By Andrew Starke

Drunk or disorderly revellers will be seeing double from today (July 2) as the penalties for a range of public order offences will double to $478 in Victoria.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Bob Cameron, said bigger fines for public order offences and even tougher banning notice powers were part of the Brumby Labor Government’s crackdown on alcohol-related crime.

“It’s last drinks for people who think they can booze on and act up in an anti-social and offensive way. If you do drink too much and flout the law, you’ll find yourself in double the trouble,” Cameron said.

“This is part of our government’s ongoing efforts to send an immediate message to people who think it’s okay to drink too much, become unruly and run foul of the law that society will not accept that behaviour.”

Since the fines came into effect in December 2009, 7100 people have been fined across Victoria, with 4304 being issued in metropolitan areas and 2796 in regional areas.

Cameron said the legislation also triples the amount of time police can ban someone from a designated area or licensed premises from 24 hours to 72 hours.

Since banning notices were introduced in 2007, more than 3300 people have been banned from a designated area for 24 hours.

Rees Tightens Noose on Violent NSW Pubs

By Andrew Starke                                        (new heads-up)

Pubs and clubs in NSW have been hit by a new wave of licence restrictions as part of permanent measures to curb alcohol-related violence on their premises.

The Rees Government today announced that venues will be grouped in three categories determined by the number of assaults that occur, with over a hundred likely to be named and shamed. A full list of offenders will be made available later this week.

The restrictions will include lock-outs and service bans but will also offer the establishments a chance to get off the blacklist.

Under the new regime, premises where there are 19 or more assaults a year will have to offer free water and food for 10 minutes every hour after midnight, stop serving alcohol 30 minutes before closing and lock their doors to new customers at 2am, amongst other restrictions. As many as 33 establishments may immediately fall into this category.

Establishments where 12 to 18 assaults occur will have the same food and water requirements, will also have to stop service 30 minutes before closing & must not use glasses after midnight.

Pubs or clubs where eight to 11 assaults occur will be assisted by the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing to strengthen alcohol and security management.

“The community is sick and tired of violence and these new arrangements will continue to target venues that have rising alcohol-related assault rates.  We will work with venues to reduce incidents by imposing strict rules on their operations but will also reward them for their success.”

While the highest risk venues will be subject to similar special conditions already in force at 48 of the State’s most ‘at risk’ pubs and clubs, Rees left the door open for venues that reduce incidences of violence to be removed from the list or have the number of special conditions reduced.

“Any decision to remove a venue from the list will not be taken lightly,” he said. “It will primarily be based on the level of assaults and the provision of an appropriate venue safety management plan.”

The Rees Government will monitor data published by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and a revised list of offending establishments will be compiled on December 1 and June 1 each year using 12 months of rolling data. Venues added to the list will be subject to the special conditions for a minimum of six months.

Sydney Pub Ordered to Use Plastic Cups

By Ian Neubauer

The NSW Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing (OLGR) has invoked new powers under the 2007 Liquor Licensing Act to make a Sydney venue remove glass from the premises.

The Star Bar and Grill in Sydney’s CBD has been ordered to serve drinks in plastic cups and remove all glasses from the floor by 11:30pm following an series of allegedly violent assaults.

The Maloney Hotel Group, which owns the Star Bar and seven other venues across NSW and QLD, was not available for comment today (October 15).

The OLGR’s ruling comes in the wake of a three-month trial that saw dozens of Sydney venues voluntarily serve drinks in moulded plastic cups after dark but this is the first case where a licensed venue in the city has been forced to remove glass to ensure patron safety.

Ivy, Star City Face Restrictions

By Andrew Starke

Ivy and Star City Casino have been named as two of the most violent venues in Sydney, with both high-profile establishments now subject to restrictions.

The casino was ranked fourth and the Justin Hemmes owned Ivy debuted tenth on a list of the top 100 most violent pubs and clubs compiled by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR).

The two will join 32 other establishments who recorded 19 or more assaults for the year to June in the top tier under the Rees Government’s ‘three category of restriction’ policy.

These premises will have to offer free water and food for ten minutes every hour after midnight, stop serving alcohol 30 minutes before closing, lock their doors to new customers at 2am and serve alcohol in plastic glasses, amongst other restrictions, although they will have a three month grace period pending a review process.

A spokesman confirmed the Premier would enforce the new restrictions. The controversial “name and shame’ system has angered many publicans who believe they are being unfairly targeted, arguing that the list does not take into consideration the number of patrons a venue accommodates.

Contacted by TheShout, Merivale responded to claims about the incidence of crime at two of its eight venues in Sydney’s CBD – Ivy and Establishment.

Merivale GM, Brett Sergeant, said “Our own statistics differ greatly from those published by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and we look forward to providing our own research to both the bureau and the Local Area Command.”

“There is a comprehensive, three months consultation process before any conditions could potentially be placed on our licence. We will continue to trade as per normal over the next three months until the review process concludes and the data is finalised in December 2009”, he said.

Sergeant concluded that it is ‘irresponsible and misleading’ to ignore the number of patrons frequenting large venues when looking for a solution to reducing alcohol-related crime and assessing the safety rating of these venues.

“We operate arguably Australia’s safest venues and are very proud of our record. We look forward to working closely with the Local Area Command to clarify the data and improve even further the security measures already in place.”

Topping the latest list was the Mean Fiddler with 42 assaults followed by Glasshouse Tavern (36), Penrith Rugby League Club (30), Star City (29), Stonewall Hotel (26), The Valley Brewery (26), Coffs Harbour Hotel (24), The Colombian Hotel (24), Albion Hotel (23), Collingwood Hotel (22), Imperial Hotel (22), Ivy (22), Steyne Hotel (22), The Gaff Restaurant, Bar & Nightclub (22) and White Bull Hotel (22).

Glass Restrictions for ‘High Risk’ QLD Pubs

By Andrew Starke                               (Worse in QLD)

The Queensland Office of liquor and gaming regulation has moved to reassure the State’s publicans and club owners that not all ‘high risk’ nightspots will face glass bans.

A new list of over 70 pubs and clubs most likely to be affected by the restrictions has been published and include the majority of late night venues in the city’s nightclub districts: the Brisbane’s CBD and Fortitude Valley.

Included in the list of 70 ‘high risk’ venues are such diverse premises as the exclusive Qantas Club Chairman’s Lounge at Brisbane Airport, which is under scrutiny due to its late hours of trade, the International Players Cabaret + Sportsbar in Ipswich & Pine Rivers United Sports Club at Strathpine.

The measure are part of a crack down on the use of glass in high risk, problem venues across the state in a bid to improve public safety and reduce alcohol-fuelled violence.

Premier Anna Bligh said the government would work with the liquor industry and the Queensland Police Service to identify high risk venues and aim to replace glass with plastic or similar cups by the end of the year.

“We will be identifying those high risk venues – those places with a history of violence – and acting at high risk times to get plastic drinking vessels in place,” Bligh said. “Enough is enough – we have to act to stop glass being used as a weapon.”

According to new figures release by Government, there have been 45 recorded instances of glassings in licensed premises in Queensland since July 2008.  The majority (64 percent) of these have occurred in hotels with a further 17 percent occurring in nightclubs.