Liquor Licence: Should we expect new liquor laws from the new WA State Government?

Since 2015, the newly elected Premier has been calling for a fresh approach to liquor licensing in Western Australia.

Some of the proposed changes that the Labour Government are looking to implement are:

• Reducing the red-tape that applicants have to cut through in order to obtain a liquor licence in favour of what has been described as a more “common sense” approach.
• The removal of the three year restriction on reapplying for a new licence for the same premises where the application for that licence was originally refused on public interest grounds.
• Making the renewal process for occasional licences and extended trading permits easier if the licensee has a good trading history.
• Greater consideration given to tourism and cultural value in new liquor licence applications.
• Making it easier for venues to obtain a liquor licence.

The current Minister for Racing Gaming and Liquor, Mr Paul Papalia has said:

"We’re working on how we refine the laws and regulations to ensure there is reform but we don’t undermine controls over liquor outlets like bottle shops because there is a proliferation of those and we need to deal with that."¹

While it is still early days since the election, no bill amending the legislation has yet been presented in Parliament and it remains to be seen what will actually happen.  It appears that the McGowan Labour Government plans to reform some aspects of the licensing system.

As Mark McGowan stated:

"If we want a more vibrant culture in our city and communities, we need to move away from this one-size-fits-all approach to liquor licensing."²