The ACT branch of the Australian Hotels Association told a Legislative Assembly committee yesterday that recent reductions in alcohol-related incidents and arrests should result in lower licensing fees for venues that sell alcohol.

The lobby group's ACT general manager Gwyn Rees told the inquiry into the new licensing regime that a small group of large venues, including high-occupancy Civic night clubs, were carrying a disproportionate share of the fees.

But Attorney-General Simon Corbell told the committee the new regime had reduced the number of incidents and arrests.

Mr Rees told the committee that it was unfair that pub and club owners should have to pay for the poor behaviour of their patrons.

''Licensees must not be held entirely responsible for the poor behaviour of people who are drinking,'' Mr Rees said.

''People must always take responsibility for their own action. The $2.9 million quantum recovered by the ACT Government is too high and given recent reductions in alcohol-related incidents, crime and increases in compliance, this quantum must be reduced.''

Mr Rees was also critical of the reduced licensed fees being charged to the territory's smaller ''boutique'' venues.

''In Kingston and to a lesser extent Manuka, it seems night-time venues are simply disappearing,'' he said.

''It seems obvious that the regulatory environment is threatening the viability of late night venues, furthermore, giving away of licences can only serve to exacerbate the issue.

''The fact remains that there are very few large venues, 82 per cent of the market is small to medium, so any push to divide these venues means that there are few that are unfairly penalised for that size, relative to other venues.

''It seems completely unreasonable for nine venues to carry nearly $200,000 of the recovery cost required by the ACT Government.''

But Mr Corbell told the committee the government's reforms were on the right track.

''We're confident that we have implemented a better, fairer and more equitable fee structure which finances additional police on the beat, a new regulatory effort and a safer community for all,'' he said.

The minister said the new system put the regulatory onus on the industry through a risk-based fee structure.

''It is designed to recover the costs of the new regulatory efforts that are required of our police and the Office of Regulatory Services,'' he said.

The minister quoted figures from ACT Policing showing a reported 17 per cent reduction in alcohol-related arrests, a 6 per cent reduction in alcohol-fuelled assaults and a 9 per cent decrease in the number of people taken into custody for being intoxicated.

''There is simply no perfect formula that will make everyone happy,'' the minister said of the fees structure.

''But in the interest of industry fairness the government has sought to use an evidence-based approach and has introduced new liquor fees which have favoured smaller licencees who choose to close earlier and who pose less risk to the community.''