Nightclubs to push for 5am last drink law
TOWNSVILLE late night traders are calling for 3am last drink laws to be abolished.
They say the ID scanner policy, introduced in July this year, is enough to help ensure a safe and orderly late night precinct.
Townsville CBD Liquor Accord and Mad Cow Tavern owner Mark Napier said the State Government needed to choose between the ID scanner policy and the 3am last drinks policy.
“The late night precinct doesn’t need both,” he said. “A safe and orderly late night strip can be maintained with just the one policy. Traders shouldn’t have to be burdened by both the 3am last drinks and ID scanners.”
Mr Napier said he called on the State Government to bring forward its review into ID scanning regulations and include the abolishment of the weekend 3am last drinks policy.
“What we are suggesting is if the ID scanners are here to stay, give the traders who used to have 5am trading, give us our Friday and Saturday night 5am trading back without any lockout,” he said.
“Allowing traders to go back to trading to 5am with no lockout will put us on an even playing field with venues such as the casino which now trade in Townsville seven days a week to 4am with full service, no lockout, no ID scanners.”
Attorney- General Yvette D’Ath said evidence showed that reducing the number of hours liquor was sold in the early hours of the morning and implementing ID scanners at licenced venues were key strategies to reduce the risk of alcohol- fuelled violence.
“We made an election commitment in 2015 to put in real measures to stop the violence,” Ms D’Ath said.
“We have always said that we must allow the policy time to work. That’s why we have a comprehensive review, covering the first two years of the policy, reporting back July 2018.”
LNP fair trading spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said the constant backflips and bungled implementation of ID scanners had made Queensland an “international laughing stock”.
“From day one, the LNP has stood beside business owners and employees who said the 1am lockout was grossly unfair – punishing the majority for the sins of a few,” he said.
“The LNP will fix the ID scanner debacle by closing the current two- hour loophole, by commencing scanning from midnight.”