ENTRY HITCH WITH ID GLITCH

Talk about a hiccup. When statewide compulsory ID scanning kicked in for Safe Night Precinct bars on Saturday, including Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, it quickly became apparent there was a problem.

Canadian, American and NZ IDs weren’t compatible and bar bosses fumed. For a state where tourism is the lifeblood, particularly on the Gold Coast, that oversight by authorities who have thrust this requirement on venues is a shocker.

As with any new system, there will be teething issues. But these are more than minor and should have been foreseen.

The problem is apparently simple — in Australia, ID birth dates go day then month whereas many foreign ones are in reverse.

It didn’t mean foreigners whose IDs weren’t compatible with automatic scanning were denied entry. They just had to wait while it was manually entered. And given that took longer, it meant a wait too for anyone in queues behind them.

Authorities should have been keenly aware of the highly tourist-based population of not just this city but many of the affected places across Queensland.

It has taken gloss off what police and Justice Minister Yvette D’Ath reported as a very successful launch with assaults and disorder well down on normal.

Bars are largely supportive of the scanning which red-flags banned patrons.

But these teething issues need sorting ASAP before it stings bottom lines and the city’s reputation.