LOCAL licensees are backing calls for the 10pm deadline on takeaway alcohol sales to be lifted in regional areas, but police fear any changes could fuel preloading and compromise public safety.
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Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said everything was on the table, with the state government commissioning an independent review of the 2014 changes to the liquor laws, which include a cut-off at 10pm for bottleshop sales.
“Where you have got towns with one bottleshop, the 10pm restriction on takeaway liquor is hurting them,” he said.
“In regional NSW, landholders and shift workers who don’t knock off until late ... they’ve missed that opportunity.
“I’m hoping the review will take on the impact.”
In December 2014, the Tamworth Liquor Accord introduced a package of measures to combat alcohol-related crime, going one step further than state reforms by introducing 12.30am lockouts, bans on shots and high-alcohol-content drinks, and ID scanners on entry.
Oxley Chief Inspector Jeff Budd worked with the liquor accord to help establish the reforms but said workers looking to pick up a drink after finishing a shift “would be an absolute drop in the ocean compared to the greater community”.
“I cannot comprehend why the magnificent achievements in alcohol reform and public safety would be compromised by an industry lobbying for an extra two hours of trade in takeaway alcohol,” he said.
“It defies belief that community safety might be compromised for an extra take in the till.
“One of the big issues the industry raises as a risk is preloading, a trend where patrons consume alcohol prior to attending licensed premises and then create problems.”
In October last year, Mr Anderson presented a petition to state parliament by members of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA), with 10,000 signatures calling for the removal of the 10 o’clock restriction from all hotels.
It defies belief that community safety might be compromised for an extra take in the till.
- Oxley Chief Inspector Jeff Budd
Local licensee Bevan Douglas was one of the driving forces behind it.
Tamworth Liquor Accord chairman Roger Rumble said the issue had been spoken about and many members believed the 10 o’clock cut-off was “too early”.
“It is contentious,” he said, adding that some licensees were hopeful country areas might be given more leniency to extend hours in the review.
“It used to be midnight; maybe if we could come to an agreement.
“For a lot of the chefs, hospitality staff and the like, they might finish at 10pm and then they can’t take a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine with them.
“Ten o’clock is a bit too early.”
But the calls have dismayed police, who said Tamworth had been the benchmark for reform.
“Tamworth in some instances has achieved a greater than 40 per cent reduction in alcohol-related crime and other linked crime categories since 2013,” Chief Inspector Budd said.
“Our venues have experienced cultural change and are far safer than before.
“One of the real measures is the reduction of presentation for alcohol-related injuries and associated illnesses at our already stretched hospitals.”
