MELBOURNE CBD HAS TOO MANY LICENSED PREMISES

Tuesday 15 February, 2011

MELBOURNE CBD HAS TOO MANY LICENSED PREMISES

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland is right to say Melbourne CBD has too many licensed premises. As far back as 2007 the Herald Sun reported that the number of licenses issued to serve alcohol beyond 3am has risen by 43% in just 5 years, and that in the CBD there were 146 premises with permits to serve alcohol to 3am or beyond.

The three key features of far too many nightclubs and extended-trading premises are binge drinking, drug taking and violent assaults. The increase in venues operating from midnight right through till daylight represents a recipe for the proliferation of binge drinking, drug taking, and alcohol and drug-related violent crime.  These hours of operation threaten the safety of third parties, such as taxi drivers, and even innocent bystanders.

I am in favour of State Government and Melbourne City Council action to make late-night venues more accountable when problems occur.

This could include licence conditions which result in licenses being forfeited when illegal activity takes place in a venue or if patrons indulge in such activity in or around a licensed venue.  Some of these venues are clearly out of control.  I would like to see some of the extended trading hours licences revoked, and those venues which fail to control their patrons are the obvious places to start.

KELVIN THOMSON MP

Member for Wills