At a venue
Licensees have obligations and responsibilities to their customers, staff and the community in their area. Licensees are required to comply with the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998, which is the legislation that regulates the supply and consumption of liquor in Victoria.
Freezes on late-night venues
The 12 month freeze on late-night liquor licensing that came into effect during 2008 now extends until 30 June 2013. The freeze affects venues intending to trade after 1am, unless the applicant can show exceptional circumstances. The freeze affects the following municipalities: Melbourne, Port Phillip, Yarra and Stonnington. For more information see: Freeze on late-night licensing
Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA)
Face-to-face RSA training is compulsory for licensees and staff selling, offering or serving liquor for general, on-premises, late night and packaged liquor licences. For more information see: Responsible Service of Alcohol For information about further training for hospitality staff, see: Training
Free drinking water for patrons
Offering free water is an important part of the responsible service of alcohol as it helps patrons slow down their rate of intoxication and provides an alternative to consuming alcohol. Licensing venues that supply alcohol for consumption onsite are required to provide free drinking water to their patrons. Failure to supply free drinking water could attract substantial fines. For more information see: Free drinking water for patrons
Proof of Age cards
The Victorian Proof of Age card verifies that the person seeking to enter the licensed premises or purchase liquor is over 18 years of age. For more information or to apply for one see: Proof of Age cards
Young people on licensed premises
It is an offence for any person to supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18. In most cases, it is also an offence for a minor to be on licensed premises or to purchase, receive or consume alcohol. It is important that licensees and the community be aware of Victorian liquor laws relating to underage drinking, drunkenness and public safety issues. For more information see: Underage people on licensed premises
Tougher penalties on drink advertising and promotions
Licensees have clear obligations under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 to serve alcohol responsibly. The Director of Liquor Licensing has the power to ban inappropriate advertising or promotions and such action may result in the Director seeking to vary, suspend or cancel a liquor licence. For more information see: Responsible alcohol advertising and promotions
CCTV rules for licensed premises
The Liquor Control Reform Regulations 2009 impose minimum standards for the frame rate and quality of stored images for security cameras and video recorders. The regulations affect any licensee with conditions endorsed on their liquor licence that require them to install and maintain a CCTV recording system. The licensee is responsible for ensuring that the CCTV recording system operates in accordance with the regulations and the conditions of their liquor licence. For more information see: Security camera standards
Liquor Licensing Forums and Accords
These meetings enable licensees to raise questions associated with liquor licences and local issues and are an important opportunity to engage with the local community to help reduce alcohol-related issues in and around the licensed premises. Initiatives that emerge from these forums can lead to a marked decrease in under-age drinking and late-night violence. For more information see: Forums and accords
