Parliamentary committee calls for limit to city alcohol outlets
New policies should be considered to limit the number of venues serving alcoholic drinks or selling takeaway alcohol in any one area, a parliamentary committee has heard.
The Social Development Committee has been examining the sale and consumption of alcohol in South Australia and released an interim report.
It heard evidence from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education calling for "alcohol density policies" to be introduced to all liquor-licence categories.
The foundation, an independent charity group, suggested two models used overseas to limit the concentration of liquor outlets in any one area which could be used here.
Saturation zones, used in England and Wales since 2005, restrict the number of new liquor licences granted in an area where there is already a high density of outlets. This could be applied to the Adelaide CBD, for example.
Cluster zones, used in New York, prohibit new liquor licences within a set distance of existing licensed venues or other buildings, such as schools, hospitals or churches.
In New York, new licences cannot be issued within a 150m radius of three existing licensed venues. This approach would more likely be used in Adelaide's suburbs.
The committee report cites research showing assaults are more likely to happen near licensed premises than elsewhere.
"What is not evident is whether there is a threshold level of density of alcohol outlets where assaults become a serious problem and what effect each additional alcohol outlet has on the number of assaults," the report states.
Office of Liquor and Gambling statistics show there are about 6120 liquor licenses operating in SA.
Committee member Frances Bedford said there was a proposal in her electorate of Florey to build a new bottle shop "within spitting distance" of a hotel and a liquor store.
Australian Hotels Association SA branch general manager Ian Horne said there had been an "extraordinary explosion" in the availability of liquor licences but would not say if he believed more restrictive policies were needed.
Business Services and Consumers Minister John Rau said larger operators applying for liquor licences already had to prove there was demand for a liquor outlet in an area.
Opposition business services and consumers spokesman Steven Griffiths said a Liberal government would not look to reduce the number of licensed venues in entertainment precincts but would aim to better integrate liquor licensing and planning rules.
Source: News.com.au, 27 November 2013
