The ACT Attorney-General could authorise minors to attempt to buy booze as part of a sting operation to catch out vendors selling alcohol to underage drinkers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Under the ACT government's proposed liquor law reform package, minors could attempt to buy alcohol from bottle shops and bars in the same way governments have tested compliance with cigarette supply laws for years.
An underage buyer would have to have written consent from at least one parent to participate in the operation and would be supervised.
The operation could only go ahead if the minister was satisfied the welfare and safety of the minor was protected and the testing would be conducted in a fair manner.
ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said while controlled purchase operations for alcohol are used in New Zealand, it's understood they are not in use elsewhere in Australia.
"Controlled purchase operations would represent part of a range of potential measures available to Access Canberra and ACT Policing to address the sale of alcohol to minors," Mr Ramsay said.
"It would not be the predominant means of compliance enforcement with the government placing a strong emphasis on educating and engaging licensees to support compliance with liquor laws."
The government's long-awaited liquor law reform bill was tabled in the ACT Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Under the proposed changes, patrons kicked out of a licensed venue for being drunk or disorderly would have to move at least 50 metres away or risk a fine of up to $3000.
Evicted patrons would also be barred from re-entering the venue for six hours.
Exemptions would apply if the ejected patron had to catch transport or lived within 50 metres of the venue.
Exceptions would also be made if they had reasonable fears for their safety if they did not remain in the vicinity of or reenter the premises.
"What we've got is an effective way of attempting to prevent the problem rather that just respond after the problem has occurred," Mr Ramsay said.
A new fee structure for liquor licences could also be in place as soon as July 1, Mr Ramsay confirmed.
Under the revised structure, the fees of businesses that buy more than $3 million of alcohol a year could be raised by between 5 and 20 per cent while fees for small bars would be cut by 25 per cent.
Those extra funds would go towards an education campaign, the details of which will be announced at a later stage, Mr Ramsay said.
"We believe that it's important for the responsibilities around alcohol education to be shared by those businesses who are contributing to those issues," Mr Ramsay said.
The bill also includes a new class of liquor licence for caterers which don't serve alcohol from fixed premises.
The draft laws would also mean moteliers offering alcohol in their mini-bars, hairdressers who offer their clients a glass of bubbly or aged care homes that serve residents a wine with dinner no longer needed a liquor licence.
Out-of-state Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates would be recognised in the ACT and licensed venues would have to report incidents within 24 hours rather than keep an incident register.
The proposed new liquor laws will:
- Raise the licensing fees of businesses that buy more than $3 million of alcohol a year by between 5 and 20 per cent. The extra funds raised will go towards an education campaign about responsible drinking.
- Cut the licensing fees for venues that shut before 2am and can only hold up to 150 people by 25 per cent.
- Make it an offence to try an re-enter a licence venue or hang around after you have been evicted or refused entry.
- Give licensees the statutory power to evict or refuse entry to drunk or violent patrons.
- Give the Commissioner for Fair Trading the power to force a venue to install security cameras as part of their licence conditions. The laws will also clarify the commissioner's power to enforce licence conditions such as no glass or shots after midnight.
- Extend the Attorney-General's power to bar alcohol products that appear to be targeted at children or young people.
- Change the definition of 'intoxication' to include impairment by drugs or a combination of liquor and drugs.
- Put six extra police officers on night time patrols around Civic.
- Allow licensees to be issued with perpetual liquor licences, eliminating the current one and three year licences.
- Give licensees six extended trading authorisations per year, allowing them to trade outside their normal hours for special events.
- Allow businesses that supply liquor without charge and as an ancillary service (moteliers with minibars, florists including a bottle of wine in gift baskets and serving a glass of wine to aged care residents) to be exempt from requiring a liquor licence.
- Recognise out-of-state RSAs.
- Introduce a new class of liquor licence for caterers.
- Require licensed venues to report incidents within 24 hours.
