It’s been a bad week for music venues in WA, NSW and QLD

Music venue operators in three Australian states have had a terrible week, with taxation, legislation and lockouts among their woes.

In Western Australia, the Liquor Control Act’s 270-page review recommended that venues, nightclubs, pubs and casinos with a licensed area greater than a prescribed size of 200 square metres should pay a greater fee. It suggested a surcharge of $10 per square metre with the money going to fund community education programs on the hazards of alcohol.

The Australian Hotels Association WA slammed the idea, saying it would send many venues broke, with its CEO Bradley Woods calling it “an unfair tax”. This was one of 141 recommendations by the review, including stopping ads which inspired more alcohol intake, and steep fines for adults who provided under-age people booze without the permission of their parents.

Smaller venues and bars would continue to close at 10 pm on Sundays and until midday through the weekday. The recommendations got the thumbs-up from police and the medical sector.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell is adopting the “Newcastle solution” to Sydney venues in the CBD and Kings Cross. These include 1.30 am lockouts, a clamp down of alcohol sales after 3 am, higher fees for “risk” venues, and on the spot $1,100 fines for serving intoxicated customers. Not surprisingly, this decision hasn’t been popular within the music industry, with numerous opinion pieces already popping up.

In Queensland, the Opposition has also this week has also unveiled a push for a 1 am lockout, stopping shots after midnight, stopping booze after 3 am, and an expansion of the Drink Safe precinct program.