The ACT's Fair Trading Commissioner is yet to impose any conditions on Canberra's bars or nightclubs, eight months on from the introduction of new liquor laws the ACT Opposition warned put the capital "at risk of individual lockout" laws.
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The liquor law package gave the Fair Trading Commissioner new powers to impose conditions, such as no glass or shots after midnight or earlier closing times, as part of a venue's liquor licence.
The Canberra Liberals' legal affairs spokesman Jeremy Hanson said the powers put venues at risk of "individual lockouts without proper process".
Mr Hanson said on Monday he was "encouraged" that the power had not been used "punitively" but he would continue to monitor the situation closely.
He believed coward punch legislation was the "missing piece" of the ACT's liquor laws.
Earlier attempts to reform the territory's liquor laws failed after plans to hike licensing fees for venues open past 3am were branded "lockout laws in disguise".
The ACT government also chose to abandon changes to closing times or the introduction of last drinks just before the 2016 election, after a very public backlash.
A spokeswoman for ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay heralded last year's liquor law reforms as a success.
Fifteen people have been fined since June for failing to leave the vicinity of a bar or nightclub after they'd been kicked out, the spokeswoman said.
ACT Policing confirmed one person had been arrested and four people summonsed over the offence.
Nearly 200 incidents have been reported to Access Canberra since the law was changed to compel venues to flag issues within 24 hours, rather than keep an in-house register.
And although minors can now legally buy alcohol in undercover sting operations, none have taken place.
The spokeswoman said the laws had made it easier to run a bar or pub in Canberra while making the city safer for patrons.
"Small licensed restaurants and cafes in the ACT are paying less in liquor fees as part of a suite of red tape reduction measures," she said.
"Licensees pay a fee to operate, which is based on a number of risk factors, the fee payable by the licensee pays is calculated in accordance with the liquor fee determination."
About 276 bars with capacity of up to 150 people that can trade until 2am have received a 25 per cent discount on their liquor licence.
Eighteen bottle-shops that sell more than $3 million of liquor a year have had their fees raised between 5 and 20 per cent.
"Since introducing the legislation, two small bars have been granted licences to open, and one catering company has lodged an application," the spokeswoman said.
Five liquor licence holders have taken an advantage of a new exemption for those that sell alcohol as an ancillary service (such as hotel minibars, hairdressers or hamper businesses).
Eighteen special event authorisations for extended hour events have been approved at no extra cost to licensees.
Sixteen new outdoor dining permits have been issued with an 8 per cent discount in fees for permit holders.
Thirty-two new new perpetual liquor licences have been approved, while 480 existing licensees had their licences changed to perpetual.
The Australia Hotels Association ACT general manager Jo Broad said despite some "teething issues", her members were "pretty happy" with how the new laws were going.
