Pub lockouts already used, enforcer says

THE Licensing Commissioner says he can slap lockout conditions on the licence of any venue to help manage problems specific to premises — and several clubs and bars have already been handed curfews.

Hobart City Council documents showed a meeting of police, liquor licensing and council officers this month discussed introducing lockouts after 3am at some CBD venues to help battle noise and antisocial behaviour.

Licensing Commissioner Jonathon Root yesterday said Ivory Lounge Bar in Hobart and some other Tasmanian venues already had lockout conditions attached to their permits.

Lockout conditions were usually applied along with other measures after an investigation into issues at a specific venue, he said, adding he believed he had enough powers under the current laws to battle bad behaviour around bars.

“[A lockout condition] is one of many tools available to the Commissioner for Licensing and is only used, usually in combination with other measures, where the commissioner considers it appropriate to manage specific issues,” Mr Root said.

“The commissioner uses a variety of conditions to reduce the risk of adverse behaviour around premises and the imposition of conditions is not unusual, particularly for premises that trade into the early hours.”

Acting Treasurer Elise Archer said the Government would not introduce blanket lockout laws.

“We don’t support the concept of lockout laws, we’ve never considered implementing them and we won’t do so in the future,” Ms Archer said.

The hospitality industry and Labor also voiced their opposition to lockout laws, and Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said it was not an issue that had been brought to his attention.

A Tasmania Police spokesman said: “Tasmania Police enforces the laws that are currently legislated and continues to work with all stakeholders to achieve a collaborative approach to any emerging issues and to keep entertainment precincts safe.”