07 Nov 2007
Western Australia's 930 licensed sporting and social clubs have become the unintended target of government liquor regulation and over 300 are currently looking to surrender their liquor licence. "When this happens 200 clubs will fold and the 100 years of clubs having a social beer after sporting events will effectively cease in a formal and controlled way all over the state" says Executive Director of Clubs WA, Mr Peter Seaman.
Clubs WA claims that discretionary powers given to the Director of Liquor Licensing in the liquor reform package that the Government had included to protect community owned clubs are not being applied appropriately. "This is an absolute shambles in that compliance for the smallest club in Western Australia run by volunteers is more challenging and costly than for the largest and best resourced hotels". Mr Seaman said. "Whilst we have tried to understand the pressure on Departmental staff to interpret new regulation, it is now urgent that the Minister intervenes and these regulations are appropriately reflected in the type of business that is being conducted".
The core issue of concern for small clubs relates to their capacity to have qualified persons available at all times the bar is opened which means a small tennis club with volunteers serving cans on a roster basis will need more approved managers than large outlets that oversee several bars in their operation. "The cost to train all approved managers, the over complicated manner and cost to maintain registration with the Department along with the over use of volunteers to try and interpret what constitutes grounds for Director discretion is crushing clubs with a restricted club licence" Mr Seaman said.
Mr Seaman stressed, "The role of clubs in our community is pivotal to how sport and social entertainmnet is introduced into our social calendars and the role of the club volunteer is fundamental to those clubs survival but their efforts can not be taken for granted or mismanaged, so the Government has a clear commitment to work with these wonderful volunteers".