Territory liquor laws to be revamped

A major overhaul of the Territory’s liquor laws will see a reduction in the availability of alcohol, it was revealed yesterday.

Licensing Minister Syd Stirling said the Liquor Act would be rewritten over the next 18 months to include a more stringent process for new licenses.

The Government wanted to “avoid the proliferation of liquor licenses”, he said.

Mr Stirling said the Licensing Commission would also be restructured, to allow it to deal with only major issues.

“For example, licensees will not have to go through a lengthy commission process just to get a minor license variation,” he said. “We would prefer to see matters resolved by conciliation and mediation where possible.”

Mr Stirling also flagged changes to advertising, including the banning of cheap deals on bulk purchases.

Australian Hotels Association (NT) president Mick Burns last night backed the overhaul, which is to be undertaken in consultation with the industry.

The changes were recommended in last August’s NT Alcohol Framework.

Mr Stirling said further harm minimisation initiatives would follow.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Thur, 10 March 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Paul Dyer
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/