LIQUOR CONTROL REFORM FURTHER AMENDMENT BILL 2011

Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) -- I rise to speak on the Liquor Control Reform Further Amendment Bill 2011. It is a pleasure to be standing here today talking about another government election commitment. We have been consistent in our approach to cleaning the mess left behind by the opposition, and it should be noted that a number of bills that have already passed through this house have dealt with the very concerning issue of alcohol abuse. This is a comprehensive problem that has been identified over a number of years, but unfortunately it is an issue that has been left lying idle by the previous government, which failed to deliver in a number of areas. Poor planning, poor resourcing and poor administration in relation to the enforcement of the liquor licensing regime has contributed to shocking levels of alcohol-related violence in Victoria. We have all seen it. We have seen the loss of consumer confidence. People do not feel safe on our streets and in our licensed venues.

This legislation is about cleaning up the industry. Simply put, it rewards businesses that do the right thing and penalises those that do not. That is what we should be all about -- rewarding people who want to make a go of things.

We have some 20 000 liquor licensees in Victoria, a significant number of people. Many of them run small businesses and struggle in our current economic climate. They want to do the right thing, and we are setting up a great framework for them to move forward and do exactly that.

There are a number of things I would like to comment on today. Firstly, there is the element of the 5-star rating approach, which will assist in cleaning up the industry. Quite often governments of all shapes and sizes look at penalising people, and I am proud that our government has looked at rewarding people who do the right thing through this 5-star rating system. I would like to draw on an example in my electorate of Caulfield. We have a great race track at Caulfield which is administered by the Melbourne Racing Club. A number of events are hosted there, including the Caulfield Cup.

In 2010, just before the last election, there were horrific breaches of the liquor licensing regulations. Many minors were served alcohol. Police arrested some 37 patrons for being drunk in a public place, served 32 further infringement notices and evicted 27 patrons. Many were minors, and many exhibited a lot of drunken behaviour through the streets of Caulfield. I commend the swift efforts of the Victoria Police, the Melbourne Racing Club and the coalition since entering government in getting together and looking at how they can repair some of the damage done and tighten the system. There was nowhere near that level of activity at the Caulfield Cup just gone. There was a much better tolerated system, which will continue under the legislation we are debating.

In this instance, for example, Glen Eira police Acting Superintendent Steve Clark met with the Melbourne Racing Club and they worked closely together to create safety strategies. He said most people celebrating will do it responsibly, but the small minority who behave in an antisocial manner should take note that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

That is what this is really all about -- not tolerating bad behaviour. In this instance, organisations such as the Melbourne Racing Club have worked with police and government to do the right thing. Hopefully under this new law the club would achieve a 5-star rating and would be rewarded for that. I give credit to it for that and hope that many others in my electorate will do the same and that the club can continue to work towards a credit and a 5-star rating.

On the 5-star rating, a liquor accord forum was hosted by the City of Port Phillip on 4 October. It featured six guest speakers -- the mayor; the president of the accord, Jonathan Sherren; the director of liquor licensing; and representatives from Victoria Police and the Fitzroy Street Traders Association. They discussed safe bar training, responsible service of alcohol and in particular the introduction of the 5-star rating system.

This is what we are talking about: traders coming together, discussing the issues and working on best practice -- achieving a 5-star rating -- and learning from one another in implementing such strategies. This sort of behaviour should be commended. I will write to the City of Port Phillip commending it for this and encouraging it to conduct more such activities.

There is no doubt that there are people who will not do the right thing, and for them there will be a demerit points system. This system will ensure that bad behaviour will ultimately result in suspension of a venue's liquor licence. It has a number of different levels -- 5 demerit points will lead to a 24-hour suspension; 10 demerit points will lead to a 7-day suspension; and 15 demerit points will lead to a 28-day suspension.

To be quite frank, as a business owner I know that a 28-day suspension would probably put a business owner out of business, particularly in this industry, and so it should because this sort of behaviour should not be tolerated and will not be tolerated under this government.

We have also introduced a new category of licence for wine and beer producers to simplify and modernise the existing regulatory regime for them. This is important because it cuts red tape. It means wine and beer producers do not have to go through multiple systems of licensing, which is a disincentive for many small businesses and start-ups. This change encourages them to get on with the job of doing business. The government has committed to a 25 per cent reduction in red tape over four years, and this is the sort of initiative we are looking at undertaking. This initiative only applies to one business category, but it is a proactive step in cutting red tape. We all talk about cutting red tape for small business; this is an example of actually doing that.

I want to talk about the live music element. The bill is a response to the importance of live music to the hospitality industry and the broader community. It will ensure that live music is an ongoing consideration in relation to all liquor licensing decisions. I was not in the Parliament at the time, but we all remember the big protest about this on Spring Street. We heard the great music of the RocKwiz Orkestra, which played AC/DC's It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) from the album T.N.T., getting music lovers together outside Parliament. That is what it is all about -- celebrating good music and encouraging good behaviour. I am glad we are addressing this issue and ensuring that live music retains its important place in Victoria and Victoria's venues.

The bill makes a number of minor amendments. The bill requires licensees that exclusively supply packaged liquor to obtain packaged liquor licences, which is important.

This is a good bill. It is one of many we have introduced to address issues around liquor licensing. We have looked at other measures, such as drunk and disorderly offences, suspending people and barring people from venues. This bill complements these measures and goes one step further. What we are doing is delivering sensible legislation and ensuring that Victorians feel safe in licensed venues and on the streets. I commend the bill to the house.