Liquor Licensing - Responsible Service!
By Chris Watters, Executive Director Liquor Licensing Division, Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development
In this edition of Inside Liquor I would like to discuss with readers some important social responsibility issues such as drink spiking and binge drinking, and update you on Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) training.
RSA program update
The updated Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) Training Program commenced on 1 July 2005 as part of the Premier's 17-point Brisbane City Safety Action Plan.
From 1 March 2006 it will be mandatory for all staff of premises in the Brisbane City Council area which are licensed to trade after 1am to complete the training; this includes crowd controllers, bar attendants, glass collectors, managers, nominees and licensees.
In the six months since the new RSA program began, approximately 5050 people have been trained by the Division's contracted trainers. It is estimated that 2900 of these people were trained in the Brisbane area. This is a significant increase in comparison to the old RSA program which over the seven and a half years the program was running, trained an average of 2370 people annually.
A list of RSA trainers and their contact details are available from www.liquor.qld.gov.au
Licensees now serving safety
With binge drinking on the increase it is important for licensees to do their part when it comes to responsible service of alcohol. Research has shown that binge drinking is on the rise especially among young people.
Consuming alcohol at these harmful levels can have both short-term and long-term risks. Short term risks include falls, assaults and car accidents and long-term effects can include depression or damage to the liver or brain.
In response to the trend of promotions, such as two-for-one drinks, which encourage binge drinking, licensees are now prohibited under the Liquor Act 1992 from externally advertising drink prices.
Free drinks, multiple drinks and/or discounted liquor at all licensed premises in Queensland can no longer be advertised externally.
The Act also makes it an offence to:
- sell liquor to an unduly intoxicated patron
- supply or provide liquor to an unduly intoxicated patron
- allow another person to supply an unduly intoxicated patron with liquor
- allow an unduly intoxicated patron to consume liquor.
If one or more of these offences are detected, the licensee, nominee, or manager can be fined up to $37,500.
A bar attendant or staff member can also be fined up to $6000.
Licensees who breach the advertising ban may be fined up to $7500.
For more information on RSA visit www.liquor.qld.gov.au