fbpx Liquor licensing legislations and the role of community members and groups | NDARC - National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

Liquor licensing legislations and the role of community members and groups

image - Alcohol Square
Date Commenced:
06/2016
Expected Date of Completion:
12/2016
Project Supporters:

Department of Health

Drug Type:
Project Members: 
image - Rachel Visontay
Ms Rachel Visontay
Research Assistant
Additional Project Members: 
image - Img 6213
Associate Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin
Conjoint Associate Professor
Project Main Description: 

To reduce alcohol related harms, the World Health Organisation recommends regulating the sale and supply of alcohol, including limiting the number of premises selling alcohol as well as the hours during which alcohol can be sold. Consistent with these recommendations, government regulations over the availability of alcohol are common and over 142 countries worldwide have some form of liquor licensing system. Within Australia, liquor licensing is developed independently within each of the eight states and territories, often resulting in considerable variation between these jurisdictions. The first aim of this report is to provide an up to date legislative review of liquor licensing policies within each of the eight Australian jurisdictions, with a focus on the key decision-making authorities and the external individuals and groups who are able to contribute to the liquor licensing legislative process.

Generally, liquor licensing within each jurisdiction considers the interests of the alcohol and hospitality industries whilst seeking to minimise alcohol-related harms within the community. Individuals and organisations within communities should therefore have an opportunity to contribute to the liquor licensing decision-making process particularly with respect to managing alcohol-related harms. However, for individuals and community groups seeking to appropriately influence liquor licensing decision-making authorities the procedures to follow have been identified as unclear. The second aim of this report is to develop jurisdictional specific guidelines for community members and groups seeking to become involved in the liquor licensing decision-making process. These guidelines will consider the preparation of the appropriate information needed to influence decision-making authorities and the procedures to follow in order to provide this information to these authorities.

Project Collaborators: External: 

Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drugs

Drug Type: 
Project Status: 
Current