8th Feb 2010
BRUMBY BLASTED ON LIQUOR LICENCES
Nationals Eastern Region MP, Peter Hall blasted the Brumby Government in
Parliament this week on the draconian liquor license fees imposed on
Gippsland businesses. Mr Hall said that while he supported a fee
structure based on the risk venues posed to community safety, he said
the criteria used to assess risk were totally inappropriate in their
application to country venues.
Mr Hall raised numerous examples where licence fee increases were
unjust, including:-
-
A small supermarket in East Gippsland who were charged a fee of
$5200 instead of $1500 because they opened on Good Friday;
-
A number of bed and breakfast operators whose fees went from $95 to
$396 just for the privilege of offering a complimentary drink to
guests on their arrival.
-
Hotels in a number of towns who saw their licence fee rise from $957
to $4100 because they have a licence which enables them to open
until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights despite this only being
exercised occasionally.
-
An East Gippsland vigneron whose licence went from $150 to $400 for
no apparent reason.
-
An outlet selling packaged wine with fee increases from $357 up to
$1590.
“These significant fee increases on venues which have no history or
likelihood of generating alcohol related violence are not justified. The
fee increases are nothing more than revenue raising by the Government
and its country businesses and country communities that are being hit
hardest,” Mr Hall said.
Mr Hall called on the Government to abandon its current proposals and
redesign a fee structure that more accurately reflects the real risks
that licensed premises pose to local communities.
“The Brumby Government is out of touch with reality if they think that a
country operator can pay the same as a popular inner-city night club.”
Mr Hall concluded
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