Liquor & Gaming Specialists

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OLGR COVID-19 Update 21 May 2020

The information below was supplied by the Queensland Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming and is reproduced for the benefit of licensees who are not on the OLGR mailing list.

Our compliance officers have been out and about checking that licensed venues understand and are complying with requirements for Queensland’s easing of restrictions.

Education was prioritised over enforcement on the first weekend, but the importance of these requirements meant that some businesses had to immediately remedy areas of non-compliance. In some instances, they were required to stop their dining service while they made the necessary arrangements.

If an OLGR compliance officer visits your venue during stage 1, they will be checking a range of things including:

  • the COVID Safe Checklist for dining in has been completed, signed, displayed and is being followed
  • the maximum number of patrons for dining in is not exceeded
  • alcohol consumption is secondary to the provision of a meal
  • social distancing rules are applied
  • cleaning and hygiene measures are in place
  • record keeping is in order
  • alcohol is being served responsibly.

Last weekend, issues were identified across all these areas.  There’s much information to digest, so here’s a reminder of the key things you must do to operate in stage 1.

COVID Safe Checklist

All licensees opening their venue for stage 1 dining in must complete, sign and display a COVID safe checklist. You can also view Q&A’s in relation to the checklist.

Licensees should also review and update their WHS Plan to incorporate COVID-19 risks. If you have a WHS plan that covers your COVID-19 risks and you have consulted with your staff to develop it, then please continue to use it.

If you don’t have one, here’s a template WH&S plan you can use.

While the WHS Plan doesn’t have to be displayed, it does need to be made available to a compliance officer if requested.

Patron numbers & service of alcohol for dine-in

Under stage 1 you can only have up to 10 people, or 20 people (outback) – not including staff – at your business premises at any one time for dining in. To accommodate this number, you must have suitable space to meet the requirement for no more than one patron per 4 square metres.

Alcohol can only be served in conjunction with seated dining, no bar service is allowed. The provision of alcohol must be secondary to dining.

Customers ordering/collecting takeaway are not included in the dining in person limit, but you must manage the flow between your customers to ensure appropriate social distancing.

Social distancing

You must arrange your tables and seating so that people in separate groups are at least 1.5 metres apart.

If you’re still providing takeaway service, you must manage this in a way that keeps 1.5m between people and not allow takeaway food or drink to be consumed adjacent to the premises.

Appropriate hygiene measures

The COVID safe checklist clearly outlines hygiene and cleaning requirements for dining in restaurants, cafes, clubs, RSL clubs and hotels. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland also provides further information about how you can keep your workplace, workers and customers safe from COVID-19 risks.

Record keeping

You must keep a register with contact information for customers, workers and contractors for at least 28 days. It must include the name, address and mobile number of a person at each table for the purposes of contact tracing in the event of a COVID-19 infection.

These records must only be used for this purpose and are to be confidential and kept securely at the premises. You must not leave unattended sign-in books where customer’s personal details are freely available to others.

You do not need to collect contact information for customers ordering/collecting takeaway.

Training

Businesses offering dining in services must ensure workers complete COVID Safe training within two weeks of opening.

Free COVID Safe training is currently being developed by TAFE Queensland in conjunction with the Queensland Government. The COVID Safe for Dining In micro-credential is designed to build workers’ skills and knowledge to implement practices that will safeguard themselves, their colleagues and customers from COVID-19.

Register at TAFE Qld COVID 19 Response.  You will be notified once the training is online.

Responsible Service of Alcohol

All licensed premises must ensure the responsible service of alcohol, including that sales are not made to minors, disorderly or unduly intoxicated persons.

You should remind your patrons who purchase takeaway alcohol from your venue that in Queensland drinking alcohol in a public place is illegal and on-the-spot fines apply. The only exceptions are ‘wet areas’ designated by a local council, normally for occasions such as a wedding in a park.

Useful information

If you still have questions in relation to stage 1 easing of restrictions, we recommend you:

In-venue signage

We’ve prepared stage 1 signage for licensees to download and display at their venue. We hope this helps you educate your patrons on how you are currently operating:

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Gaming Compliance Updates

Since June 2005 all gaming licensees have been required to develop a documented Gaming Related Compliance Program which meets minimum standards defined by Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation.

Is your Gaming Related Compliance Program Document (GRCPD) up to date?

In 2005 over 1000 gaming licensees took advantage of our GRCPD service. However, there have been a number of changes to gaming regulations and those documents need to be updated or replaced.

Liquor & Gaming Specialists have developed an updated Compliance Program Document which meets all current QOGR requirements. This document is tailored to apply to your venue and we can provide it to you for a single payment of $600.00 (plus GST).

Monthly Self-Assessment Checklist

An important element of every GRCPD is the monthly self-assessment checklist. The checklist must be completed by the Gaming Nominee by the 7th day of the following month and a copy of the checklist must be kept and available for inspection at the licensed premises for five years after it is completed.

In the most recent Q Gaming Update, published April 2008, QOGR announced an inspection program for early-mid 2008 specifically targeting the quality of self assessment checklists. Any licensee failing to correctly complete the monthly checklist faces a maximum penalty of $15,000 for individuals or $75,000 for corporations.

How can we help you meet your obligations and avoid potential penalties?

To complement your GRCPD, we can provide a Monthly Self-Assessment Checklist Service to help you meet your obligations in this regard. For a monthly payment of $55 (plus GST) or an annual investment of $600 (plus GST) we will:

  • Contact your Gaming Nominee at the beginning of each month and complete the self-assessment checklist based on records collected by gaming staff in the preceding month.
  • Send an electronic copy of the completed checklist to the Gaming Nominee. The Nominee must print and sign the document and file the original, with supporting documentation, in the designated location on site. The Nominee must send a copy of the signed checklist to our office by facsimile.
  • Notify your nominated representative of compliance with the licensee?s requirements under sections 264A and 264B of the Gaming Act 1991 and provide a copy of the checklist for presentation at the monthly meeting of the board of directors/management committee.
  • Retain a copy of all completed checklists for at least five years. This will ensure you are able to replace the documents if they are lost or damaged.

Do you hold monthly meetings of the board of directors/management committee?

The monthly self-assessment checklist (at question 9 for Hotels and question 13 for Clubs) states:

SELF ASSESSMENT

(a) Previous month?s self assessment presented to and adopted by board of directors / management committee?

(b) Any matters requiring further action are included on agenda of next meeting for monitoring purposes?

Most larger organisations and clubs hold formal monthly meetings. But, our experience tells us that family businesses and other operators often only hold informal meetings, on an as needs basis, and rarely take proper minutes to record what has been discussed.

If you require assistance in this area, then you might benefit from the Monthly Meetings Service which we offer to our clients. For a monthly payment of $55 (plus GST) or an annual investment of $600 (plus GST) we can help you comply with your obligations regarding monthly meetings by:

  • Convening a monthly teleconference of the board of directors/management committee.
  • Providing a resolution to adopt the monthly checklist
  • Generating minutes of the meeting and forwarding them to your nominated representative to be filed at your office
  • Retaining a copy of all records for at least five years. This will ensure you are able to replace the documents if they are lost or damaged

Any Two Services Bundle – $1,080 (plus GST)

If you choose any two of the services outlined above, we will discount our fees by 10%. In other words, your annual investment is only $1,080 (plus GST) and you choose the combination of services your business needs.

Total Service Bundle – $1,440 (plus GST)

If you want all of the services outlined above: Gaming Related Compliance Program Document, Monthly Self Assessment Checklist Service and Monthly Meetings Service, we will discount our fees by 20%. In other words, for an annual investment of $1,440 (plus GST) you will be relieved of a large portion of the administrative burden associated with gaming compliance, giving you more time to focus on growing your business.

If you have not yet addressed the above matters, or you want any help with gaming compliance, email us or call us on 07 3252 4066 and immediately take action to minimise the risk to your business.

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Liquor & Gaming Specialists
30 Prospect Street
Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 AU
T: 07 3252 4066
F: 07 3252 1466