OLGR has said that event organisers need to liaise early with the regulatory body and police when planning significant public events involving alcohol and ensure adequate plans and controls to prevent alcohol-related problems. The warning comes following concerns about the conduct of an Oktoberfest event held in Sydney after multiple serious breaches were detected. OLGR and Police detected heavily intoxic…

Retailers are celebrating a significant milestone in NSW, following the passing of a reform by the NSW Government and NSW Legislation Council that will allow all  retail in the state to trade on Boxing Day. Many have been calling for the existing trading laws to be reassessed for a number of years, saying they are no longer up to date with today’s retail landscape. Retailers have also called the Retail T…

Acting Premier and Minister for Justice Troy Grant announced on Saturday that NSW will be the first state to ban betting on live-odds advertising during sports matches. Effective from 1 March 2016, Grant said the ban will help to reduce gambling problems, with live betting often leading to impulse bets or users spending larger amounts when chasing expected losses during a game. Grant also said in a statem…

Leading alcohol distributor, Lion, has launched an initiative that will see the company commit to being more transparent in the labelling of its beers. New labelling will now include information about the sugar and preservative content of Lion’s beers. The company says that it hopes the next stage of its campaign, ‘Beer the Beautiful Truth’, will challenge consumers’ misconceptions of the category and pro…

Australian wine author and educator Jayne Powell has won her court case against the French-based committee for Champagne, CIVC.  Jayne Powell The court case began a number of months ago, with CIVC alleging that Jayne Powell had been misleading members of the public by promoting sparkling wines under her Champagne Jayne trademark. CIVC said Powell had “damaged the goodwill of the Champagne sector” and wan…

The NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) has closed Bondi Junction’s Liquorland for 14 days, after it was caught selling alcohol to minors. This is the first time a major supermarket chain has been closed for such an offence. Liquorland in Eastgate Shopping Centre was found selling alcohol to a 16 year old using a 22 year old man’s expired driver’s licence. According to OLGR, the licence clearly…

For the first time in almost 20 years, the South Australian Government is currently reviewing the Liquor Licensing Act. Acting Premier, John Rau said the time is right for a review of the act. “The current legislation is the product of layer upon layer of amendments laying over the original act during the last 20 years.” Mr. Rau said that recent amendments to the act that have benefitted small venue licen…

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) has released its two-year report of ‘Beer, Wine and Spirits Producers’ Commitments’ to Reduce Harmful Drinking. Signed back in October 2012, the commitments were agreed upon by CEOs of leading global producers of beer, wine and spirits to improve harmful drinking worldwide. The report released this week now highlights the steps and successes that …

The national association for cider and perry producers, Cider Australia, has released a public petition calling on government to apply its new “country of origin labelling” laws to cider. If brought into effect, the new laws would mean that every cider in Australia would need to state the where the apples or pears have been sourced from. Cider Australia President, Sam Reid, said the petition aims to prove…

17 businesses, including the Australian Hotels Association, Australian Retailers Association, Master Grocers Association and the National Farmers’ Federation have rallied together to make an amendment to the Competition and Consumer Act. Representing more than 500,000 businesses and three million employees, the 17 are hoping to see a change to Section 46 of the Act that they say, will make for healthier c…