Breakfast pokies off the menu

Unlimited early-morning drinking and gambling at Queensland pubs and clubs will become a thing of the past under an overhaul of the state’s liquor licensing laws.

Premier Anna Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser today announced a new licensing system that maintains 10am-midnight standard hours and introduces a permit system that will phase out early trading except in special circumstances.

“The original intention when the ability to open before 10am was introduced into the Liquor Act in 1992 was to have early openers to cater for shiftworkers. But the reality is it has drifted towards open slather with more than 1000 pubs and clubs around Queensland now licensed to open early,” Ms Bligh said.

“It’s time to clamp down. It was never the intention to simply provide hundreds of places across the state where people could start drinking and gambling at breakfast time.

“I don’t believe the present situation reflects what our society demands. There is more than ample opportunity to have a drink and a flutter in the 14 hours of trading from 10am until midnight.

“From now on, hotels and clubs will have to mount a rock solid case why there is a need for them to open early. Frankly, other than special events such as Melbourne Cup or Anzac Day, it will be difficult for them to do so.”

Ms Bligh said the highest risk to community safety and health came in the period when pubs are trading between 3am and 10am.

A new “elevated risk” system would assess venues that wanted to retain early-trading permits as they came up for renewal on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Fraser said under the proposal, venues throughout the state could still apply for permits to trade before 10am or after midnight, but the evaluation process would become more rigorous and possibly restricted to special events only.

“Permits will also be considered for special annual occasions and one-off events – ANZAC Day for example.

“This review was undertaken by the State Government in consultation with the hospitality industry, other interested groups and with the community.

“The majority of industry groups that took part favoured standardised trading hours. Community groups were keen to limit standard trading between 10am and midnight because their experience is that most complaints relating to alcohol-induced behaviour are received at pubs and clubs with extended trading hours.”

Other recommendations to emerge from the Liquor Act review include:

• Ministerial power to ban undesirable alcohol products which target minors
• Penalties for adults who recklessly supply alcohol to unsupervised minors
• Improvements to industry staff training
• A reintroduction of annual licensing fees to ensure the industry’s financial commitment to safer drinking and
• A new marketing campaign to address change in Queensland’s drinking culture.